Vie
by thatisastory
Summary: Emerging from the shadow of grief and despair, Jasper & Bella make good on a promise: To live. They delve into the vampire world and discover an old coven with new friends, a dark history, and a vendetta that cannot be ignored. Sequel to Afterlife. Jas/B
1. Chapter 1: Paris

Title: Vie

Author: thatisastory/this_ismy_story/Jess

Disclaimer: Twilight is the property of SMeyer. The original characters in this story are mine.

Spoliers: This is the sequel to Afterlife, which takes place after the wedding in Breaking Dawn.

Summary: Emerging from the shadow of grief and despair, Jasper & Bella make good on a promise: To live. They delve into the vampire world and discover an old coven with new friends, a dark history, and a vendetta that cannot be ignored.

Vie

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Chapter One

The last we saw of the sun was of it disappearing rapidly behind the thick layer of clouds that hung over the city of Paris. A cold, steady drizzle drifted down from the sky. The city was bathed in a pearl grey light, with the occasional splash of bright color from the shop windows and the flags that hung overhead. The brilliant colors I knew from the Impressionist painters who'd interpreted the City of Lights had apparently come on a day when the weather was nice. Conveniently enough, this was perfect weather for Jasper and I.

Our taxi rounded a traffic circle and turned down a cobblestone road, which narrowed almost the point of being impassible with cars parked obtrusively on either side. Jasper nervously eyed the wall of cars that were closing in on us. The driver didn't seem to mind the close quarters however, and continued to move down the lane with increasing speed. Suddenly everything opened up and we were merging with a busy road. Rather abruptly, the driver pulled up to the curb and barked out the fare due.

"Er, right," Jasper said, fishing through his wallet and retrieving several bills and passing them to the man. "The um, the Museum er, D'Orsay, donde, no, damn it that's Spanish. Uh, where--"

The driver angrily chided us in French, at least it sounded as if he were, before pointing, with an exasperated look, towards an enormous, impressive looking building. Its exterior was covered in carvings and sculptures. The lightly tinted windows, divided by wrought iron and framed in grand arches, reflected the building's original purpose as a train station.

I snorted as Jasper looked slightly abashed. He gave me a withering look and climbed out of the car, and I followed, grateful to have survived the taxi ride.

Behind us I could hear the driver grumbling just loud enough so we would be sure to hear it, "Damn American brats, learn some of the language before you travel next time."

Jasper gave me an embarrassed smile as he held out his hand to me.

I took it and with a roll of my eyes began to walk towards the museum.

"I'll have to learn French," he said, with a shake of his head.

"How is that you have lived as long as you have, and you don't know French?" I asked, smirking.

"Well unlike some of our family members, I had other interests besides linguistic pursuits."

"Like what?" I asked, as we neared the line that was queued at the entrance.

"Virgin sacrifice, blood rituals, and general carnage?" he suggested.

We both chuckled.

"So how's your French?" he asked, nudging me as moved up in line.

"Nonexistent," I said, wrinkling my nose.

"Well don't we make for a perfect example of our country's culturally enlightened youth," he said, as we crossed the threshold into the immense entry way, with walls that rose up and up to an arched ceiling covered in windows that provided pale, grey-green light from the clouded sky above.

"I think that's why we're here," I said, grinning.

Our visit to the museum was filled with all the color the city was lacking that day. Cezanne, Manet, Monet, van Gogh, Rodin, and Gaugin, artists whose work I never thought I would see in person were around every corner, and that was just to name a few. The museum was vast, and though we hadn't seen nearly everything we wanted to see, after a few hours the crowds began to grow. We made a discreet exit onto the open streets.

I gave Jasper a sidelong glance as we crossed a busy street. Though we had hunted in the last two days, I felt the need to check on him, just to make sure he was comfortable.

"I'm fine," he said without looking at me.

"I know," I said, returning my gaze to the city around us.

The Seine ran along our right. Buildings crowded alongside the river, and over the top of these buildings, steeples, monuments, obelisks, and towers rose. Above all of these was the Eiffel Tower, far, far off in the distance.

For a few minutes we walked in silence, lost in our own thoughts.

I kept looking around, still trying to grasp the concept that we were in Paris. I couldn't believe that a place that had been reserved for books and dreams was now a part of my reality.

We reached the corner, and without much thought or care, we turned and began to cross over the bridge that led to the other side of the city.

Suddenly Jasper pulled up short. With my hand still in his, I was jerked backwards and nearly fell.

He caught hold of me around the waist and pulled me into his arms.

"Hey," he said with a grin.

"Hi," I replied sweetly.

"We're in Paris," he informed me.

"We are," I said with a nod.

"No, like, we're in Paris. Paris, now. Here. Us," he said, pulling me closer.

"I know, I'm still getting over the shock too," I said, sliding my arms around his neck.

Jasper hoisted me up and sat me on the thick, cement railing, so I was slightly above his eye level. "I'm so glad we're here," he said, bringing his hands to rest on my thighs.

"I know, me too," I said, running a hand through his hair. It felt so strange, but at the same time, natural, comfortable even to be touching him like this.

"Me too," he echoed.

After a moment, he glanced behind me and I turned my head and looked down at the water that flowed beneath us.

"Up for a swim?" he asked, sliding his hands up to my middle and exerting the slightest, threatening pressure.

"No," I said, wrapping my hands around his wrists. "Thanks though."

He pushed again, and I locked my ankles behind his knees.

"Jasper, DON'T!" I said warningly. "I'll take you with me!" I added, clutching his wrists.

"Oh come on, you had a pretty good time last time you went swimming," he said slyly, pushing me again.

"That was so different," I said, casting a nervous glance below me as a small tour boat emerged from beneath the bridge.

"So you admit you had a good time," he said coyly.

I turned back and met his triumphant expression.

"Yeah," I said sheepishly.

"Good, me too," he said, releasing my waist and bringing his hands up to my face.

I loosened my hold on his wrists as he leaned up and softly brought his lips to mine. My hands slide down past his elbows and to his muscular biceps. I tightened my grip on them as he deepened the kiss. He slid a down my side and brought it to rest on my hip, pulling me towards as he leaned into me.

I relished the feeling of his hands on me, but somewhere in the back of my mind something clicked, and I became suddenly very aware that we were being watched.

Our lips froze and Jasper quickly pulled away. "I know, I felt that too," he said in an alarmed voice, spinning around.

We both swung our heads in either direction, trying to figure out what had set off our senses like that.

"It felt like, I don't know, like..." I struggled, trying to put the sensation into words.

"Like we're being watched by one of our kind," he said in a tense voice. "Instincts aren't limited to hunting. Someone else is here," he said, looking down the bridge as I looked in the opposite direction.

"Maybe they're just on vacation, like us," I said hopefully.

"Got her," he said in a quieter voice, his body going rigid.

I turned my head in the direction he was looking. "Where?" I asked, searching the faces for recognizable characteristics.

"A female, just outside that shop, halfway up the block."

My eyes followed where Jasper was staring, drifting further away from where I'd been looking and found her. A woman, with long, dark brown curly hair, pale skin, her deep red lips complimenting her bright, scarlet eyes. She wore a bright red, flowing long sleeved dress, and a black vest. She smirked as she hoisted a tote bag onto her shoulder and nodded at us. She hitched up a bit of dress and took off. In a flash she was standing before us.

She slid her hands onto her hips and raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" she asked in a light, musical accent, her eyes moving over us hungrily.

* * *

Thanks to my beta, twi_ction! She's amazing and makes me dance and smile LOTS! Thanks to the_gazebo for their sense of humor and encouragement!

Sorry I didn't do a preview, I decided to go ahead with the first chapter.

Outtake for Afterlife is in the works. I've been sitting in smoky bars with a drink scribbling away, so hopefully I can get that out quickly. Also the possibility of a Jasper one, it's just a really tough one to write for me, so I'm hoping I can get it down properly. Afterlife had such an abrupt ending because Vie will be taking a different direction. Yes, there is still healing be had, but there are adventures to be had as well. These are their adventures. Thanks so much for coming along for the ride!

Also THANK YOU SO MUCH for the encouragement and kind words regarding the loss I experienced and related in the last author's note, it means a lot, more than you could possibly know.


	2. Chapter 2: Le Maison de Genevieve

Chapter 2

"More foundlings," she said in an amused tone.

"Excuse me?" Jasper asked, still standing in front of me.

I peeked over his shoulder and looked curiously at the woman who didn't appear remotely surprised at our presence.

"Well, that's one more set of sheets and another room we'll need to light, but that's nothing," she said, though it seemed more to her than to us. She continued to appraise us with her eyes and adjusted the large tote bag on her shoulder. "Are you ready, then?" I could tell from her sweet, musical accent that she was Welsh.

Jasper and I looked at each other, thoroughly confused. It was as if we were expected.

"You're looking for Le Maison de Genevieve, yes?" she asked impatiently.

"The Maison--who are you?" I asked, sliding down from my perch on the railing.

Jasper stepped aside, allowing me to stand next to him. He reached up and slid his hand into mine.

"You mean you're not here to... oh. Oh!" she said, her eyes suddenly lighting up with understanding. "You really are foundlings, aren't you?" she chuckled. "I'm sure I look like a right presumptuous ass. Normally people show up in town looking for us, I just assumed you were more visitors. Where are you from then?" she asked, speaking very quickly.

"Er, the United States," Jasper said awkwardly.

"Yes, that's a very big country, isn't it?" she said coyly. "Where in the United States?"

"Washington," he said, shifting uncomfortably.

"But that's not where you're originally from," she said, studying him. "No, you're from elsewhere," she said without posing the question.

Jasper tensed for a moment and I looked up at him, concerned.

"Anyway, won't you come and stay with us? It's been so long since we've had anyone new come along--and with you two and the other, oh gracious, we're going to be late meeting him. He'll think I've forgotten all about him. Won't you come stay?" she asked, her stream of thought moving from subject to subject rapidly.

I frowned in confusion, but Jasper emitted a small snort, whatever had been bothering him he had apparently let go. "I'm not sure you completed any of those thoughts," he said kindly.

"Yes I'm afraid I tend to do that," she said absentmindedly. "But you'll forgive me for being in such a rush. I promise it will all be explained, if you'll just come along."

I looked up at Jasper, not at all keen to blindly follow a stranger.

"She's sincere," he said, in reply to my unasked question.

"Yes, and I'm also Helena," she added.

I looked back and forth between the two. "Well... why not?" I said with a hint of excited-nervousness.

"Excellent! Shall we?" she asked.

We nodded, and before anything further could be exchanged, she took off in the direction from which we had just come.

"Wait we—what the hell is she doing?" Jasper asked in shock, his eyes following her as she darted down the street crowded with pedestrians, and vendors and their patrons.

"Why would she do that?!" I gasped. I looked around wildly, noting the dozen or so humans who were along the street. No one seemed to have noticed that the person who had just been standing before us had, for all intents and purposes, disappeared. I looked back up at Jasper, who returned my frown.

A moment later she reappeared before us, her expression one of frustration. "I'm sorry, is there a problem?"

"Well er, you just, you just ran—at our speed, with all these people around," I stammered, my eyes flitting back up to the busy sidewalks.

"What? Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?" she said, her eyebrows raised.

"People aren't going to notice?" Jasper asked.

"Goodness, you two really are new around here, aren't you?" she said, appearing as though she was restraining a roll of the eyes, or perhaps a cutting laugh. "You see we're not in the United States, we're in France, and in France we know how to mind our own business," she said loftily. "It's a social grace that seems to have ended at the Atlantic. No offense," she added. "So are you coming?"

Jasper chuckled again, and glanced down at me.

I was torn between being mildly offended by the generalization and amused. I settled for perplexed.

I chuckled once. "Yeah, we're coming," I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Good," she replied, smirking with satisfaction.

Turning on her heel, and in a flourish of red fabric and dark, curly hair, Helena darted down the street, with Jasper and I following closely behind her. We streaked past oblivious taxicabs, bicyclists, and people walking along the street. The city flew past in a blur as we turned down one street after another. After a few minutes Helena slowed and came to a stop on a street corner, Jasper and I stopping a few feet behind her.

She looked around expectantly before glancing at her watch. "I hope he didn't think I forgot about him and left," she worried, turning this way and that, looking around for the person to whom she was referring.

I looked around as well, though I didn't have any idea who exactly I should be looking for.

"No, he didn't leave," Jasper said, staring across the street and a few buildings up.

Helena and I both turned, our eyes following in the direction of Jasper's. On the front steps of a storefront, under a sign with large, brown, leather shoe painted on it, leaning back against a step on his elbows, sat a male vampire. He was pale of course, but there was a certain worn quality to him that made his skin seemed less fair in comparison to my own. He had long brown hair that came to his shoulders, and his face, unlike most vampires I had seen, bore the slightest scruff of a beard and mustache. He wore jeans, a dusty, white t-shirt, and cowboy boots. At his side sat an Army green duffel bag, and a guitar case.

A sly smile spread across his face as he rose to his feet.

A second later he dashed across the street, belongings in hand. "Well hey there," he said. "'Bout time you got here, Helena," he said good-naturedly. He was clearly an American, with a deep Southern twang to his voice, much more pronounced than that of Jasper's.

"Yes, I picked up two more on the way," she said, returning the smile. "Dick, this is, er…" she trailed off, her eyes widening and jaw dropping slightly. "Good Lord, I forgot to ask your names!"

Dick let out a raucous laugh that made two passersby jump and hurry off in alarm. "Well then allow me to make the introductions Helena! I'm Richard," he drawled. "But call me Dick," he added.

"I'm Jasper," he said, shaking Dick's hand. Jasper offered a small smile at Helena who nodded, acknowledging the missed introduction.

"And I'm Bella," I said, receiving Dick's energetic handshake and meeting Helena's eyes as her smile as broadened.

"Lovely! The rain's beginning to clear up, so now that we're all friends, shall we?" she asked, nodding towards a side street.

I glanced above us and saw the pearl grey clouds beginning to thin. Pale sunlight threatened to penetrate the thin veil.

"Lead the way," Jasper said, stepping aside to let her pass.

We made our way down narrow streets, through alley ways, and across busy intersections. The architecture began to differ greatly from where we'd just come. The buildings looked older, and almost like they were leaning over the street. Many were made of lightly hued stone in shades of rose, grey, and tan. Marble statues, columns, and arches adorned many of the buildings.

"It looks sort of Roman," I commented, as we passed by school with a tall, arching entrance.

"It ought to," Helena replied. "We're entering le Cinquième Arrondissement, also known as the Latin Quarter. It's one of the oldest parts of the city," she said, as we passed a domed building, flanked by columns.

We darted through a crowd of students, (or at least, I suspected students, as they all had armfuls of books or backpacks slung over their shoulders,) as they streamed in and out of a building, calling to one another on the sidewalk. Helena turned a corner sharply and I heard Dick curse quietly as he corrected his course by leaping over a motorcycle (whose driver did not notice the vampire sailing over his head) as it drove down the center of the road.

"I keep forgetting you all don't know where you're going," Helena said with a laugh.

Dick grinned at me and made a point of jumping over three more moving vehicles. His movements reminded me more of a Labrador than those of a vampire.

"Almost there," Helena said cheerfully.

We flew past a group of four nuns, whose habits blew around wildly in the wake of our passing.

"Love the neighbors," Dick called.

I watched over my shoulder as they frowned and clucked in annoyance while straightening their garments.

"Yes, there are a lot of them here, something to keep in mind," Helena replied. "We're coming up on it," she said, slowing abruptly.

Dick, Jasper, and I sailed past her and stopped several feet ahead of her.

"Something to keep in mind?" Dick repeated as he watched the nuns disappear around the corner.

"Well Adrien will tell you all about that later," she said, with an air of finality as she proceeded down a narrow cobblestone alleyway.

"They really don't notice people just materializing out of thin air?" I asked as I heard a car trundle past on the street behind us.

"It's like I told you, we mind our own business here in France," Helena said firmly, glancing over her shoulder at us as we followed her.

"Right, they're not so damn nosy like us boo-jwar-zee Americans," Dick said with a devious grin.

Helena giggled, "You said it, I didn't."

The shadow that the alley had plunged us into lifted, and I blinked as we emerged into a small, pale square of light that shone upon a light brown stone courtyard. In the center was a grey-green fountain, which chirped with water as it cascaded down to the different tiers, with a stone bench in front of it. Just beyond this, across the courtyard, were the steps that led up to a very old building.

It stood three stories tall; its walls, which nearly met the neighboring buildings with only inches separating them, were the same color as the courtyard. Much like the rest of the neighborhood, it reflected an appearance of Roman influence. ("Latin," I thought, correcting myself.) The windows were grand, with wrought iron bars that curved outwards and went halfway up the wide windows. And overhead a pair of flags swayed from their posts on the second floor, the French on the left, and one I did not recognize on the right.

"I'm home!" Helena called out. "I've brought friends!"

A moment later, a woman with long, dark red, almost wine colored hair appeared at a window, grinning. A second later a man, with a short, dark brown hair and thick eyebrows and a goatee, crowded next to her. Leaning out over the railing of a neighboring window was a man with sandy blond hair. On the first floor a curtain drew aside and I caught a glimpse of a sullen looking girl with dark brown hair in a bobbed cut. The curtain fluttered closed, and I didn't see her face again.

"Hel, you must love keeping for a crowd!" called down the man with the goatee. His voice was deep, with a strong English accent.

"'Course she does, Winston, more people for her to boss around!" the sandy blond called as he leaned further out to speak to man with the goatee. He spoke with an accent that was thick and distinctive: A Scottish brogue.

"Shut up Reg!" Helena shouted.

"You see!" Reg said, gesturing towards the courtyard.

"You've all been warned, she's a right mother hen if you're not careful," Winston called, as he disappeared inside.

"Oh leave her alone and let her have her fun!" the red head said, shoving Winston's arm playfully. Again, she with another accent I could not place.

"Thank you Ximena," Helena called up. "Don't listen to them!" she said dismissively. "Inside, if you please."

The four of us laughed as she led us up the steps, and up to a set of tall, heavy black doors.

"Allow me," Jasper said politely, holding one open.

Helena gave a nod of appreciation and stepped through.

I followed and met eyes with Jasper.

He smiled reassuringly as I passed through the doorway.

The foyer was large, with doorways to adjacent rooms on either side of me, and a long, narrow staircase running alongside the wall.

"Introductions are to be made, I'm sure?" Reg said, as he came down the stairs.

Winston and Ximena appeared from the doorway on my right.

"I'm sure," Helena replied, turning around to face us. "Friends," she said, spreading her arms out in welcome, "I'd like to present to you Bella, Jasper, and Richard, though he prefers to be called Dick," she said, raising a hand and gesturing to each of us as she said our names. She raised her hand towards the others. "And to you three, I present Winston, Ximena, and Reginald, though he prefers Reg."

We all exchanged a murmur of hello.

"Where is everyone else?" Helena asked hopefully.

"Down below, but I expect they'll be back soon," Reg said with a grin and quirking an eyebrow.

"Adrien went without me?" she asked, her smile faltering.

"He's just gone to keep Ciarán company," Ximena said sweetly.

Helena gave an embarrassed smile and looked down for a moment before glancing back up. "Where's Jubilee then?"

"I'm in here," a voice, presumably Jubilee, called out from an adjacent room.

"Are you going to come and say hello then, Jubie?" Helena called, her brow creasing.

"Hello," Jubilee replied in a bored voice.

"Hey!" Dick barked loudly in reply.

Helena rolled her eyes. "She says, 'hello,'" she said, frowning.

"Now where are y'all from? Because all of y'all sound different from one another," Dick said, looking around the room into each face.

"Wales," said Helena.

"Spain," Ximena said with a toss of her hair.

"Suffolk," Winston said smiling.

Dick's smile faded, looking slightly confused.

Winston chuckled, "England," he added.

"Mars," Reg said, with a serious expression on his face. "Where else would I get such an outrageous, thick, sultry accent?"

"I didn't know Scots were known for their tendency to probe country bumpkins," Jasper mused.

Winston snorted.

Reg's face broke into a grin. "He's alright, this one."

"Well we don't need to ask where you all are from, Americans," Ximena said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well it is a big country," I said, repeating Helena's words from earlier.

Helena grinned and opened her mouth to speak, but at the same moment the front doors behind us opened.

Through them walked a man with blond hair, cropped short and choppily, and a strong jaw line that formed a cleft chin. He lips formed a small 'o' as stepped into the room.

Before any introduction could be made, a second man stepped through the doors.

Despite his youthful looks, he had the air of age about him, the source of which I could not define. His dark brown hair hung to his chin, framing the sharp features of his face. He had a beaming smile and a bounce in his step that drew in the whole room. He wore a dark purple button up shirt, with a charcoal suit jacket and matching pants. His black dress shoes were polished, reflecting the light coming through the open front doors. Were it not for the top button of his shirt being left undone, he would have seemed too formal, and too refined for the rest of the group who were all much more casual.

His eyes went immediately to Helena's and his smile grew impossibly wider as let the doors close noisily behind him and he crossed the room in a single stride, sweeping Helena up into his arms.

I looked away and up at Jasper, who also looked a little embarrassed at bearing witness to such a moment that seemed all too much their own. He reached over and took my hand and squeezed it in his, and I suppressed the small giggle. I loved the feeling the simple gesture of holding hands brought me.

Jasper looked away and bit his lower lip, clearly biting away his own chuckle.

I stared down at our intertwined fingers in wonder. The experience of being touched was still new, the experience of being touched by Jasper still even newer.

There was a quiet groan, and I looked back up again. The man who had first entered hung back against the wall. He rolled his eyes and gave me a sympathetic smile as if to say, "They're always like this."

"I see you've brought us some new friends," the one with the dark hair murmured.

"Mmmhmmm," Helena murmured as Adrien ran a hand through her hair.

"Wonderful," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead and turning towards us.

Helena stepped back and Adrien turned to face us.

He ran a hand through his hair, and gave a warm, welcoming grin. "Welcome to my home, lady and gentlemen. I am Adrien Lécuyer, Master of Le Maison de Genevieve," he said with a slight bow.

His tone was gentle, and with an accent that was of English origin, though I didn't know from what region exactly, and with the slightest hint of a French one as well. "And who might you be?" he asked, extending his hand and his eyes turning toward me.

I opened my mouth to reply, but Dick immediately stepped forward, shouldering me aside slightly, and seized Adrien's hand, shaking it enthusiastically. "Hi there, I'm Richard, but my friends call me Dick."

Adrien's eyes narrowed. "I see," Adrien said, giving a polite smile that did not reach his eyes.

Dick grinned and nodded, "Nice place you've got here," he said, not noticing the cool reception. "When Hel told me about this place, I figured why the hell not. Been meaning to work on my French anyway," he said, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well it is very nice to meet you Richard," he said stiffly.

"Dick," he corrected.

"Right," Adrien replied, shifting his gaze back to me. "Might I have the pleasure of introducing myself to you?" he asked.

"Oh yes, um," I stammered. "My name is Bella," I said, extending my hand.

He took my hand in his, bowed slightly, and brought my hand to his lips, sweeping a soft kiss across it. "Of course it is," he said with a warm smile. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Bella."

In another life my heart would have raced, and my face, flushed. Instead I felt my cheeks ache slightly with embarrassment, as I attempted to give a calm, cool smile that clearly said, "I have men kiss my hand all the time." I hoped I was successfully hiding the look of confusion that had been threatening to make its appearance since Helena asked us to join her. What exactly was this place? A coven? A hotel for vampires? I was dying to ask Jasper if he had any ideas.

"And you, sir?" Adrien asked, turning to Jasper.

"I'm Jasper," he replied, taking Adrien's outstretched hand and shaking it.

"Very nice to meet you as well," Adrien said, with a nod. "Now before you three are seen to your rooms, there is one matter of business to which we must attend." An air of authority colored his voice. "Le Maison de Genevieve, and indeed Paris, is governed by certain rules, some of which the two have in common, others which they do not."

Winston, Ximena, Reg, and the man standing along the wall looked thoroughly bored and unimpressed. Apparently they were familiar with the rules. One by one, they each slipped from the room.

"The Rule of Courtesy is a common rule, one which I believe you'll find in most civilized places. Your pursuits may not draw attention to our presence. I've maintained a residence in this house for nearly 350 years, and I have no intention of leaving on account of indiscreet, sloppy hunting practices."

Jasper stiffened slightly. I could only assume he was recalling indiscreet practices of his own in Texas.

I leaned into him and wrapped my hand around his arm, giving him a small squeeze of comfort.

"The second rule, one which applies both to Paris and my home, is protection of the innocents. There is no hunting of children within the boundaries of Paris. All vampires who call this city home have agreed that the hunting of children is a despicable act, and will not be tolerated. The third rule applies to my household only: Men and women of the cloth, clergymen of any creed, nuns and monks, priests, deacons, etcetera, are not to be harmed," he paused for a moment, studying our expressions.

"Sounds fair enough, I don't really see the point of hunting any of them when there's a city full of people any way," Dick said, mistaking Adrien's pause for having finished speaking on the subject. "Never had a thing for children, anyway, seems unsporting—"

"Lastly," Adrien said, cutting in, "Guests who stay in this house are bound to one final rule: There is no hunting on Sundays."

Dick's friendly smile immediately fell into a disgruntled frown. "No hunting on Sundays?"

"No hunting on Sundays," he replied resolutely, shaking his head.

"So you just hunt—"

"The other days of the week," Adrien said with a shrug. This didn't seem to be a new stumbling block for his guests.

"But, but…" Dick said, clearly struggling with the concept. "But why?"

"My reasons are my own. However if you find them objectionable, there is a lovely hostel just down the road. Just be sure to eat the guests after they've checked out," Adrien said swiftly, stepping aside from the door.

For a fleeting moment I thought he appeared almost hopeful, but his face quickly returned to an expression of pride and sternness.

Dick appeared to be giving the idea some thought.

Helena took a few steps towards Dick and gave a pleading smile. "Now really Dick, surely you can go one day without. We would really love for you to stay with us."

Dick's forehead creased. "It's Saturday though."

"Well we'll just have to go hunting before midnight," Helena said matter-of-factly, as if that settled the matter.

"Alright," he said, his face smoothing and grin returning.

"Wonderful!" Helena said brightly. Her brilliant smile was contagious, and though the whole situation was still somewhat confusing and awkward, everyone in the room was smiling back at her.

"Shall we see our guests to their room and then _relax_ for a bit until nightfall?" Adrien asked, walking up behind Helena and placing a kiss on her shoulder.

"Abso—" she broke off in a squeak and jumped forward. "—lutely!" she said, elbowing him in the stomach. "Stop!" she whispered furiously.

"Where do we have Richard staying?" Adrien asked, raising his voice over her protesting.

"Dick," Dick corrected. "Only my mother and tax collectors have ever called me that. It's how I knew when I was in trouble," he explained with a grin. "And seeing how I'm not in trouble, just call me 'Dick.'"

Adrien murmured something quickly in French.

Laughter boomed through the doorway from the neighboring room.

"Adrien," Helena said in a warning tone.

I glanced at Jasper, who merely shrugged.

Dick appeared to have missed what was said as well.

"Didn't catch that," he clarified. "But I'm fluent in Spanish and Vietnamese."

"Vietnamese?" Jasper asked in surprise.

"Well you see I got bored in the 60's, so I signed up for the Army and got myself sent off to 'Nam. I got stationed outside this village," Dick said, raising an eyebrow. "And whenever our position and time allowed, I'd sneak off and visit this girl in this town. She was a dancer, if you catch my drift, and after we finished—"

"Perhaps another time for that story!" Adrien interrupted. "Let's get you all settled first," Adrien said quickly, pushing past Dick and starting up the stairs. "What rooms, darling?" he called over his shoulder.

I stifled a laugh and followed Dick up the steps, Jasper following behind me.

"Green for Dick," Helena called up from behind Jasper.

"And for the mates?" he asked as he reached the first landing.

I tripped over a step, but Jasper's grip on my elbow prevented me from falling entirely.

"We're not mates," Jasper and I said quickly together.

Adrien turned and faced us, his forehead creased.

"I'm sorry for assuming, I of all people, very silly of me," he said, giving an apologetic look and shaking his head.

"Oh!" Helena gasped.

Jasper's head snapped in her direction, his eyes intent, his mouth turned down in a frown.

Slowly I turned on the step and met Helena's horrified, mournful expression. Her eyes focused on me then drifted to Jasper.

"Darling?" Adrien called, sounding confused.

She blinked and turned her eyes up the stairs toward Adrien.

"The blue room," she said, blinking hard. "Unless, unless you'd prefer separate rooms?" she said, uncertainty in her voice.

"That won't be necessary," Jasper said, as we turned and continued up the steps.

"Right," Adrien said, turning on the landing. "Richard, this will be your room," he said, opening a white door on his right and stepping away so Dick could step inside.

"I've just put fresh linens on the bed," Helena said, stopping next to Adrien.

"You're spoiling me, Helena," he said, walking through the doorway. "Thank you for your hospitality y'all."

"We'll see you at 7:30?" Adrien asked.

"You bet," Dick said, setting his things down on the floor.

"We shall see you downstairs then," Helena said, smiling.

I caught a fleeting glimpse of ivy green walls and white trim before the door swung shut.

"You two will be just down the hall, third door on your right," Helena said, gesturing down the hall behind us.

We walked down the hall toward the door, the hardwood floors creaking beneath our feet, and Jasper's boots clunking with each step.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Adrien giving a look of concern to Helena, who merely shook her head before she noticed me watching.

"This room?" Jasper asked, his hand resting on the brass doorknob in front of him.

"Yes," Adrien said, walking forward.

Jasper pushed open the door, revealing a powder blue room, and like the green room, it was also trimmed in white. Two large windows, which ran from the floor to nearly the ceiling, lit the room and were thinly curtained with lacey, white fabric. A white chaise sat in the corner next to an end table. A blue bottle, functioning as a vase sat atop this, which held a dried rose. Along one wall were a cherry wardrobe and a small dressing table with a vanity mirror, a collection of small crystal perfume bottles were scattered across its surface. Opposite from this was a white grated fireplace. Taking up a majority of the room was a huge four poster bed that was a mountain of white blankets, sheer, flowing white fabric, and various navy blue and white pillows.

"It's lovely," I breathed as I admired the room.

"It certainly is," Jasper echoed.

"I'm glad it's to your liking," Adrien said, sounding pleased.

"Adrien?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"What is this place?"

"You mean besides Le Maison de Genevieve?" he said with a laugh as he looked over at Helena who grinned.

"I found them on the street," she said with a shrug. "We both love a full house and a good story, so I thought why not?"

Adrien's smile broadened. "It's very true," he said with a nod. "Well Bella, I suppose the best word to describe my home would be a boardinghouse. It's one for vampires who wish for a life a little more civilized than one that involves traipsing around this Earth aimlessly, without the comforts of a roof over your head or friendship. They stay as long as they like. The only thing we ask for in return is that one shares a few good stories." He paused for a moment, and cocked his head in the direction of the hallway. "And also that one exhibits good manners and social graces."

I didn't have to guess of whom he was thinking.

"Oh! I've still got to put on the linens!" Helena said suddenly, sidling past me and opening the wardrobe.

"That really isn't necessary," I said, hurrying over to her side.

"Nonsense!" she clucked, pulling open a drawer and picking out a set of neatly folded, pale blue sheets.

"Really Helena, you and Adrien have been so kind, inviting us to stay. Please allow us to do this," Jasper urged.

Helena bit her lip, seeming torn. "Well… alright," she conceded. "You two seem grown enough to know how to make up a bed."

I chuckled and took the sheets from her hands. "You can even inspect it later if you like," I teased.

"Don't say things like that Bella," Adrien warned, as he leaned against the doorframe. "She's liable to take you up on it."

I began to laugh but stopped when I saw the vaguely interested expression on Helena's face.

"Maybe," she commented, as she made her way over to the door.

"We'll see you at sundown then?" Adrien asked, as he slipped a hand around Helena's waist. "The whole house will be going out together."

"Sounds like fun," Jasper nodded.

"Until then," he said, quirking an eyebrow and turning down the hallway, out of sight.

Helena stayed rooted to the spot, looking slightly apprehensive. "Oh, er, Bella?"

"Yes?" I replied, worried for a moment that she really would ask when she could come back and inspect the bed.

"You, you two haven't brought things with you, have you?" She spoke with a tone of certainty, as if the question didn't need asking.

"No, not really," I said, shaking my head. My brow creased in confusion at how she knew that detail. Perhaps it was just our lack of luggage? We only had a backpack and a messenger bag between the two of us.

"I thought not," she said. "Well if you'd like we could go shopping together on Monday," she said cautiously. "Nothing fancy, just places that don't sell 'Vive la France!' sweatshirts," she said with a chuckle.

I smiled. "I'd like that," I said, nodding.

A hand reached from the other side of the wall and grasped Helena's wrist and began to tug at her. "I'll see you two later," she said, barely stifling a giggle, and pulling the door closed behind her.

The door clicked shut and I slowly turned on the spot, taking in the room again, before meeting Jasper's searching gaze.

We stared at one another for a moment, neither of our expressions or emotions betraying our thoughts.

Jasper finally broke eye contact and hazarded a look around the room, clearly just as bewildered as I was at the turn of events, before looking back at me and raised his eyebrows.

I snorted loudly and clapped a hand over my mouth as I began to giggle.

He began to snicker, which built into a chuckle.

Pretty soon we were both doubled over with laughter, both of us holding our sides, gasping, and completely hysterical.

"Wh-why is this so funny?" he gasped through his laughter.

"I—I don't know!" I said, another peal of laughter issuing from my lips.

Jasper roared with laughter. "Me neither! I—I just looked around and we're here, when all we were trying to do was see the city, and now—" he broke away with deep barking laugh.

"I know, I know, I don't know how the hell this happened!" I laughed.

Jasper took several calming breaths and said thoughtfully, "And it all started in San Antonio."

My breaths came out in little pants as I calmed myself, "Yeah."

We both stood up, neither taking their eyes off the other. Then, without warning, Jasper crossed the room to me, and with one arm he seized the stack of folded sheets in my hands, tossing them carelessly onto the bed, and with the other, pulled me into his arms.

His right hand pressed firmly against my lower back, his nose touching mine.

A nervous giggle slipped from my mouth.

He smirked as his eyes followed the movement of my lips as I licked them. Taking my face in his left hand, he ran a thumb over my lips, then leaned down and traced them softly with the tip of his tongue.

I could feel the residual hint of desire. It was only just a whisper, but I knew it was coming from Jasper, and I knew he was trying to suppress it.

I leaned up and kissed him softly, allowing myself to disappear into the sensation of lips on lips, warm breath against warm breath. I could feel both his and my own control ebb away, and I pulled his bottom lip into my mouth and lightly nipped at him.

He groaned quietly and tightened his hold on the back of my shirt.

With some effort, I pulled my mouth away from his and pressed my forehead against his temple. "Careful with the shirt, I only have the one."

"I'm trying, but y'all are making this very difficult," he replied, his lips grazing my jaw line as he spoke.

"'Y'all'?" I repeated, struggling to think straight as I felt his lips make their way down my neck.

He broke away and brought his lips to my ear. "Can't you hear them?" he whispered as softly as possible, his breath tickling my ear.

I listened for a moment as I felt Jasper's heavy breathing rustle a few stray strands of hair.

Somewhere above us on the next floor up I could hear the quiet, though audible sounds of two impassioned lovers, Adrien and Helena.

"Oh," I said, realization dawning on me.

"It's not, not just you or me. It's all of y'all, and it's very, it's very hard to control—" he stammered.

"Then don't," I whispered, kissing him gently.

He pulled away and stared down at me questioningly. "Bella, I don't know if you, or if, I mean, if I—we…" he stuttered.

I cocked my head to the side as I looked up at him. I understood. I didn't know what I was ready for, what we were ready for. Still, there was some part of me that really didn't give a damn at the moment, and that part was quickly becoming the dominating voice in my mind.

"I just don't want for anything to happen to us," Jasper said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Don't be scared," I whispered. "I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you," I said, the last part coming out as a growl.

He gasped into my mouth as I knotted my fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth to mine. I kissed him roughly, forcefully pushing my tongue against his. Standing on my tip toes, I pressed my body impossibly closer to his.

He moaned into my mouth, and I could feel his resolve waiver as my own desire swelled.

One of his hands reached down and seized my hip, the other still firmly grasping the back of my shirt.

A pronounced cry sounded overhead, and an amorous veil fell over his eyes.

"Screw it," he growled. "You can wear my shirt."

With a tearing of fabric, the remains of my shirt fluttered to the floor.

Like a crashing tidal wave, lust consumed every part of me.

I cried out into his mouth and felt my feet leave the floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist and felt him carry me to the bed.

He knelt above me and stared down at me with an indecisive expression.

My hands went to the hem of his shirt. Without taking his eyes off of me, he leaned back and tugged it over his head. My eyes ran hungrily over his broad, muscular shoulders and chest.

He smirked at me and reached down, tracing patterns with his fingers down my neck, over my bra, between my breasts, and trailing over my stomach. I shivered, and a second later, he mirrored me, shivering as well.

I pulled him down to me, needing to feel his body against mine. He propped himself up on an elbow, gently stroking my hair as I trailed my fingers up and down his back. He arched his back and craned his neck, his eyes sliding shut. I tightened my legs around his waist, and he opened his eyes and looked down at me, his expression becoming extremely focused.

My breathing hitched. I felt so…good—amazing! My body, my skin itself tingled with pleasure, as if fingers, with the softest caress, were tracing over every part of my body at once.

A second shiver ran through me, and my eyes widened. He gave me a lazy grin, gazing at me through heavily lidded, honey colored eyes as he shivered again.

"How—are, are you—" I broke off with a gasp as the sensation intensified.

My hands clenched his back and I pressed my lips against the moan.

He trailed a hand down the curve of my side and gripped my hip. "A perk of being an empath," he murmured with a mischievous grin.

I gasped and tightened my hold around his waist as another wave of ecstasy rolled over me.

He let out a quiet groan as he bent down his head and pressed it to my forehead.

The waves kept coming, crashing over both of us, growing more and more intense. The pleasure that became mine, became his, became mine again, over and over. It felt like my entire body was singing with the sensation.

With a sharp intake of breath, and without any warning, my shoulders involuntarily pressed against the mattress, my back arching. My mouth opened in a silent cry, it was all I could to do to keep quiet. Jasper crushed his lips against mine. There came one final, immense wave crashing over both of us, and we whimpered against each other's lips. With a groan, he collapsed against my chest.

We lay like that for hours, our breathing slow and deliberate. I stroked his hair, and stared out the window at the shadows on the neighboring building as they grew longer, and as the light grew dim.

The house was filled with quiet movement. Someone was listening to the radio in a room somewhere. Someone seemed to be pacing on the floor below. On the same floor we were on, I could hear the sound of a guitar being strummed, which was likely coming from Dick's room. No one spoke, however. It seemed that everyone was enjoying quiet activity.

Overhead there was the sound of movement. Footsteps made their way across the ceiling, followed by a clattering of footsteps down stairs. The sound came nearer as whoever it was moved down the hallway. There was a tap at the door.

The peace and calm were shattered as we both leapt up. Helena had come to inspect!

I looked at the bed, the once folded sheets now bunched up, completely forgotten, having fallen onto the floor.

Jasper seized the sheets and frantically tried to unfold them.

"Um, just a minute please!" I cried, lunging at the bed and pulling away the covers.

The sheets twisted in our hands as we tried to make the bed.

"No, this way!"

"Wrong way!"

"You're twisting them!"

"I need more on this side—too much!"

We whispered back and forth as we tugged the sheets this way and that.

There was another knock on the door, this one a bit louder than the first, sounding more insistent.

"Sorry, one more second," I called as I looked around the room wildly for some semblance of a shirt.

"Here!" Jasper whispered, tossing his shirt at me as he yanked the comforter back onto the bed.

"Okay, I'm coming!" I called, as I pulled his shirt over my head.

I crossed the room and hazarded a look back at the bed.

Jasper was frowning as he perched throw pillows on top of one another.

I sighed, put on a smile, and opened the door. "I'm sor—hello?" There wasn't anyone there. I leaned out the door and looked down either side of the hallway. It was empty.

"They must have gotten tired of waiting," I worried to myself.

I glanced down and the color green caught my eye against the hardwood floors. There, neatly folded, was a stack of clothes.

"Oh," I murmured. I bent down, picked them up, and slowly turned around. "Hey Jasper, look wha—uh…" I trailed off as I took in the nine or so throw pillows that had been stacked according to size in a teetering pyramid of white and blue.

"It looks good, right?" Jasper said cautiously, without looking at me as he tweaked a pillow on the bottom of the pile.

"Er, yes," I said, still in awe of his creation.

"So, no one at the door?" Jasper said, stating the obvious.

I held out the stack of clothes.

"You think, Helena?" he asked, as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, I think so," I said, separating a dark green dress with long sleeves from the stack. "She left you some clothes as well," I said unfolding a pink button up shirt and a pair of black slacks.

Jasper looked disdainfully at the shirt.

He opened his mouth to say something, but frowned as he shifted his stance. "Let me see the pants."

I tossed them to him and crossed over to the chaise and changed quickly. The dress, while not a perfect fit, was comfortable. It fell just above my knees, and the neckline formed a 'V,' the fabric coming across my chest and gathering at my hip. The chest was a bit loose. It appeared Helena was a bit more blessed than me in that department.

I turned and faced Jasper, who was staring at his toes. "What?"

He pointed at the hemline, which showed a good bit of his ankles.

I chuckled and shrugged. "Your shirt?" I asked, holding up the dark grey, long sleeved t-shirt I'd just removed. "Or the—"

"I'll take the pink one," he said in a defeated tone.

I walked over and handed him the shirt. He slipped it on began to button it, but I gently pushed his hands away. I could feel his eyes on my face as my forehead creased in concentration.

"You look beautiful," he murmured, staring into my face as I finished with the last button.

"You'll have to thank Helena, then," I said, smiling softly as I smoothed his collar.

"No," he said, catching my hands and placing a kiss on each palm. "I'll have to thank whatever luck I have left for you being here with me."

My cheeks ached with the absence of blush as I looked down for a moment. "Ready to go downstairs?" I asked in a quiet voice.

He reached underneath my chin and tilted my face toward him. He stared into my eyes for a moment before placing a soft, chaste kiss on my lips, then leaned back and smiled. "Let's go," he said, taking my hand in his.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you so, so, SO much for your patience!!! I know it's been 4 months since the preview, but I promise most of it was out of my control. Real life, it got in the way. The good news is that I think I'll be able to manage it all now, so the updates will be coming out on a regular basis! Thanks so much to my pre-reader jess_not_ie, and to my fabulous beta twi_ction! Happy reading!!


	3. Chapter 3: The Archivist

Chapter Three

Though the house was buzzing with activity, we did not meet anyone as we quietly explored the public rooms of the house. Each room was richly decorated. With dark wood, heavy fabrics, jewel tones, large fire places, all of it cast in the shimmering glow of gas lamps, the house conveyed an air of old world sensibility and luxury.

We stepped into a room painted dark green. A fire crackled pleasantly in the grate. Several chaises and a couch, all in velvet sat around in a circle.

Paintings and drawings in gold frames adorned the walls. There was no theme to the images. A pastel drawing showed a woman driving an older model car. A charcoal sketch showed a man standing in the wheel house of a ship. There was a watercolor of the sun setting over a range of mountains, with a mob carrying torches in the foreground. An oil painting depicting a man in full military dress, holding a pistol above his head, stood next to a curio case.

Through the glass I could see what looked like several medals and guns.

Jasper walked over to it, and looked through the glass with interest.

The door across from the fireplace stood ajar, I peered into the room and saw a young girl, no more than sixteen in appearance, with bobbed, black hair. She lay on a leather couch with a book balanced against her knees. I raised my hand to knock, and the movement caught her eye. Her eyes darted to me and narrowed.

"Hi," I said awkwardly. "I'm Bella," I said, offering her a smile. "May I?" I asked, looking towards the door.

She frowned slightly, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Come in Bella," Adrien's voice called from inside the room.

She looked over her shoulder, then, with a sigh and shake of her head, she returned to her book.

I pushed the door open, and took in the room for a moment. It was a large room; a library of sorts. The walls were lined with shelves of books whose leather spines bore faded titles. Just as in the other rooms, more paintings crowded the walls, along with mounted collections here and there. A collection of beetles pinned and framed, a selection of gun powder horns, a set mismatching chess pieces; all of these made the room feel cozy, but not cramped.

Seated behind a huge, mahogany desk was Adrien.

"Adrien," I said, smiling.

"Bella," he said, nodding and giving a warm smile. "Are you enjoying the house?"

"Yes, it's really beautiful," I said, looking around the room.

The room was cast in the warm, golden light of sconces along the wall.

"I had it modernized in the late-nineteenth century; gas lighting, indoor plumbing," he said, gesturing lazily.

I smiled at the word 'modernized' and looked around awkwardly at my surroundings. My eyes fell upon a painting, a pastoral scene with a barn and rows of lavender flowers against the backdrop of a sweeping countryside, the foothills of distant mountains, and an orange sunset. A man with long, dark hair stood in the center, facing away, his hands clasped behind him as he stared at the setting sun. The painting was remarkable, so lifelike, the colors radiated so that I almost felt the warmth of the sun on my face as I stared. I walked toward it to look closer.

"That's a beautiful painting," I said, unable to take my eyes off of it.

Adrien sucked in a breath and blew it out. "Yes," he said, standing up. "That's my farm in Provence." He smiled thoughtfully.

"It's so radiant," I said, taking a step closer. "Vibrant," I breathed.

"Helena painted it," he said coming and standing beside me.

"Really?" I asked in awe, looking up at him.

"Yes, actually, she did most of the artwork in the house," he said, clasping his hands behind his back. It was then that I considered it was likely Adrien in the painting.

"All of them?" I asked, my eyes widening.

"Most," he corrected.

"She's very talented," I said, looking back at the painting.

"Incredibly," he said, smirking at some unspoken joke. "She has a knack for seeing things in her subjects that most would otherwise miss."

There was a huff behind us, and I turned and watched Jubilee stalk out of the room.

"I didn't mean to run her out—" I began.

Adrien held up a hand. "No, Jubie's just…" he said trailing off. He frowned and then met eyes with me. "…she's got a lot on her mind," he finished lamely.

A moment later Jasper stuck his head through the doorway and looked around the room curiously.

"May I join y'all?" he asked.

"Ah, Jasper, of course, please come in," Adrien said, turning and stepping towards the center of the room.

"You have quite a collection of military memorabilia out there," Jasper said. He glanced around and took the other displays around the room. "And in here as well," he added.

"Yes, most have been gifts from friends," he said, turning and walking toward a framed set of ribbons and medals. "As you know, most of our kind elects to be nomadic. I find the practice of being in a constant state of picking up and moving a bit unnerving, hence my staying in one place for as long as I have. So people leave me possessions such as these to remain safe and admired at my home."

"Your home's like a museum then," I commented, as I walked along the crowded bookshelves.

"An apt comparison," Adrien observed, a small smile playing at his lips. "It's not as if there's a wing at the Musée de l'Armée dedicated to vampiric history. I think of it as my little part to help preserve a bit of our past, although admittedly the idea of these remnants of both our vampire _and _human pasts, these treasures, being left to ham handed museum interns makes my stomach turn. And I think I'd just as soon die a second time than let them get a hold of my swords."

"Swords?" Jasper asked with interest.

Adrien raised his eyebrows and puffed out his chest with pride as he wagged his head in the direction of the wall directly behind his desk. Several swords were mounted on the wall. "I began collecting them as a human, continued afterwards," Adrien commented.

A discussion began between the two men about swords as I drifted along the crowded bookshelves. So many titles I didn't recognize—so many languages I couldn't understand! I looked at the books hungrily. To curl up with a stack of these books and read for hours—it sounded like heaven to me.

Several of the shelves, I saw, held books whose spines read, 'Lécuyer,' in faded gold, all of which were numbered with Roman numerals. "Are you a writer?" I asked, looking up.

Adrien broke off midsentence, his eyes following to where I stood.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly.

"No, no, it's fine. The books? Uh, well, I prefer the term archivist really," Adrien said, walking over, pulling out two books, and handing one to Jasper and to me.

The title, "Vampires: A Select History," was embossed across the cover.

"Romances and Interludes," I murmured, as I read the formal script written on the title page, "Volume two."

"Of five," Adrien added.

"Skirmishes, Battles, and Wars," Jasper read, as he looked through the book in his own hands.

"Volume three of eleven," Adrien commented. "People are often far more willing to tell stories of their fights than they are of their loves. I suppose the latter are far more intimate than the former, but as I always say, these are for posterity. Still it is, at times, difficult to get people to tell their stories, despite the fact that they're meant for history books."

"I suppose people in our position are a little less willing to be forthcoming, as usually the subjects are long since dead by the time posterity gets around to reading the history books," Jasper commented with a raised eyebrow.

My eyes traveled from Adrien to Jasper for a moment before I looked back at the book in my hands. The table of contents read like a list of romance novel titles: 'Mia and Blake at the Bridge,' 'Passion Over Peru: Antony and Rosario,' 'Huang and Thuy: Tracking Through Thailand,' 'Lila and Marty at the Punk Rock Club,' 'Matthew and Charles Aboard the QEII,' and so on. There were dozens of stories, all of them written in Adrien's neat handwriting. Stories—stories vampires had shared, ones that Adrien had archived.

A mix of fascination and apprehension washed over me.

"Is this what you meant by asking for stories in return for a place to stay?" I asked, realization dawning on me.

"Well in a manner of speaking, yes."

Jasper's eyes traveled to me for a moment. I saw the reluctance behind them.

"Oh please you two, I'm not asking for anything you wouldn't otherwise share with friends—and that's what we all are here, friends!" Adrien cried with a roll of his eyes. "You can keep your secrets your own. If all you want to tell me about your passion for making daisy chains, Jasper, then that can be your story!"

Jasper looked slightly offended. "But I don't—" he began.

"Humor, man, humor: The English created it you know."

"And the Scottish perfected it!" Reg bellowed from a floor above.

"And the French ignored its invention!" Helena added from even higher above.

I giggled and put a hand to my lips.

Jasper raised his eyes to the ceiling and snorted. "And the Americans turned it all into toilet humor," he muttered.

Laughter fluttered through the house. Dick guffawed loudly.

"At any rate, we'll soon be getting ready to take our leave this evening," Adrien said, brushing past us and returning to his seat behind his desk, "Which brings us to the next topic of conversation."

I looked up at Jasper, who moved to my side. His hand wound around my waist, and instinctively I leaned into him.

Adrien clasped his hands together and regarded us carefully, his mouth opening and closing a few times. He frowned. "While I might be a bit Aristotelian at times about people's adventures and experiences, I'm not in the habit of making inquiries of people's personal appearances." He shifted needlessly in his seat, staring very hard at the two of us.

I became conscious of the house becoming unnaturally still—I was quite sure everyone had paused to listen.

"Your eyes, am I correct in thinking—"

"They are the color they are because we do not hunt humans," Jasper said. His hand twitched against my hip.

I held my breath. I had very few encounters with human hunting vampires, and I wasn't sure how we would be received.

"I thought so," Adrien said. He gazed thoughtfully up into my face, pursing his lips, his expression one of curiosity. "I've heard of others like you. I've never met anyone though. Abstinence, it's not a decision I could make, but there is an air of fascination about it all the same."

The tension in his posture lessened as I felt trickles of a patient, warm calm lap at me. Whatever Adrien felt, it wasn't anything to be anxious about.

"I beg your pardon for my impoliteness in asking the question. At any rate, I hope perhaps you'll trust me enough to share why some day, but not tonight. No, tonight is meant for different purposes." He clapped his hands together once. "Well then, I should think it would be terribly rude of me to invite you to a meal which you cannot eat, though you're more than welcome."

"I don't think that would be wise," Jasper said darkly.

"Well then if you'll allow me to show you a map, I could point out the best places outside the city for you to hunt," Adrien replied, opening a drawer and pulling out a folded up map.

"Bella?" Helena called.

I glanced at Jasper, before going in search of her.

I retraced my steps to the entryway where I met Helena, Reg, Winston, and Ximena. All of them were dressed to the nine's. Helena wore a wine colored cocktail dress with a plunging neckline. Winston wore a navy blue suit with a mint green button up shirt and a dark green tie. Reg wore a suit and tie as well, though his tie hung loosely around his neck. Ximena wore a lacey, short sleeved black dress that hugged her curves. They all looked stunning.

Helena smiled brightly as she stepped away from a large mirror hanging on the wall. Ximena stepped in front of it and began to examine her reflection.

"I thought you were going hunting?" I asked.

"We are, we'll just be going out and having a bit of fun first," Helena explained.

"It's not all about dragging off a person to a dark, secluded alley and draining them," Winston said as he regarded himself over Ximena's shoulder.

"Though that is fun," Reg said with a grin.

"Caveman," Ximena murmured as she tucked a strand of crimson hair into a clip that was pinned at the back of her head.

"It takes finesse, style," Winston said loftily.

"Sometimes," Reg interjected.

"And there's no harm in having fun in the process," Helena added.

"Oh," I said, nodding slowly. It all seemed so sophisticated.

"We're going to a bar," Helena explained, answering the unasked question.

"With Jazz," Reg added excitedly.

"What?" Jasper asked, coming into the room with Adrien following closely behind him.

"What, what?" Reg asked, sounding confused.

"I thought you said—" Jasper began.

"Jazz—the music? A man your age ought to know about it!" Reg said incredulously.

"Right," Jasper said with a shake of his head. "Sorry, I uh, thought I heard you say my name."

"Do people call you Jazz?" Helena asked curiously.

"Not in a long time," Jasper replied, glancing at me.

I looked down at my hands. Jazz. It had been Edward's nickname for Jasper.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I heard a boisterous laugh. There was a shout into the wind.

"_The coyote blood weighing you down, or are you letting me win?" Edward shouted over his shoulder at Jasper._

_I look over my shoulder in time to see Edward pass Jasper as we tore across a field and into the adjacent woods._

"_At least I was fast enough to get to the coyote first, moose breath!" Jasper crowed as he leapt over a fallen tree._

"_If you can manage to catch up, you can try saying that to my face, Jazz!" Edward called. He surged past me, glancing over at me and giving me a smug grin._

_I smiled sweetly. He had no idea. I lengthened my gait, and within a few strides had easily passed my husband, who wore a shocked expression._

_Jasper hooted with laughter somewhere behind me. "I _knew _you were holding back Bella!"_

_I answered back with a peal of laughter._

Jasper's expression softened.

I smiled shyly. The memory, however brief, filled me apprehension. My hand drifted to my neck, and I pressed my palm against the ring safely tucked underneath the fabric of my dress.

The brief moment seemed to have gone unnoticed, as conversations swirled around us.

Jasper reached out and took my free hand in his and squeezed it.

I glanced around the room. Everyone seemed to be shifting their way toward the door.

"So will you be joining us for a few hours before you head off on your own hunt?" Adrien asked, as he straightened his tie.

"Oh," I began, looking up at Jasper with a questioning look.

"I think it sounds like it could be fun," Jasper interjected, smiling down at me.

My brow creased. These were vampires who would be actively hunting humans. The bloodlust alone might drive Jasper into some sort of frenzy.

I felt swells of warmth and reassurance come over me. I knew he felt alright going.

"Wonderful! Shall we then?" Adrien asked, rubbing his hands together.

"We're still waiting for Dick," Helena reminded him gently.

"Oh."

Again I got the feeling Adrien was disappointed Dick was staying with them.

Jasper gave a sharp exhale which I knew to be a well disguised chuckle.

"Well, _we're all ready_," Adrien said, needlessly raising his voice.

There was a clunking of heels above us as Dick made his way to the stairs.

"We'll go ahead and meet Ciarán and Jubilee—and for Heaven's sake, don't forget to remind him to pronounce Ciarán's name properly, or we'll have to hear the damn story _again_," Adrien said, rolling his eyes. "Helena, Jasper, Bella?" he called as he opened the front door and stepped out into the night.

Helena bustled out the door, with Jasper and I following closely behind them.

The sun had nearly set, and the city was cast in a grey light. Adrien walked at a leisurely pace, a bounce appearing in each step as we went further and further away from the house.

"You know, that was not necessary," Helena said to him quietly.

"It wasn't," Adrien admitted, keeping his head level as we turned the corner.

"He's just a bit, er…rustic," Helena said kindly.

Adrien snorted.

"And you'll try to be nicer," she said firmly. It wasn't a question.

Adrien dipped his head once. "I will."

Jasper and I looked at each other.

I wondered if it would have been better to wait with the others.

I quirked an eyebrow at him, asking the unspoken question: What exactly was Adrien's problem with Dick?

Jasper frowned slightly and shook his head before he cleared his throat. "So there's a pronunciation for his name?"

Adrien chuckled. "Yes, Ciarán," he said, a flick of his mouth forming the last syllable. "You tap the 'a.' It's this big thing for him—"

"Well it is _his_ name," Helena interjected.

"But it doesn't need to be quite the production he makes it out to be. It's all a bit dramatic, don't you think?"

Helena pulled up short and put her hands on her hips, appearing to grow several inches taller. "Fine then, I'll start writing your name A-d-r-i-a-n. Oh, or how about A-d-r-i-e-n-n-e, make you a girl? You like that alright?" she chivvied.

Adrien was bent slightly as he cowered away from Helena. He sighed deeply. "Can we at least agree that we have heard that particular story enough times to last us at least a millennia?"

Her expression softened, as something passed over her face, likely a memory of whatever they were referencing. "Aye, that is true," she admitted.

"Right, so in answer to your question, Jasper, it's pronounced Ciarán," he said, again, pronouncing the second syllable with subtle emphasis. "—not Keer-ren," he sneered, drawing out the 'e' sounds.

"That's how it's pronounced in the United States," I said, furrowing my brow.

Adrien gave me a pointed look.

"Oh," I said quietly.

Jasper chuckled at my side.

"So where are we meeting them?" I asked, looking further ahead as we walked down the bricked sidewalk.

"They're not too far. They had some, er, preparations to make prior to hunting," Adrien said mysteriously.

As if on cue, as we rounded a corner, Jubilee stepped out of an alley. A grating of metal caught my attention, and I looked into the alleyway and saw Ciarán standing up out of a stoop.

"Ready?" Adrien inquired.

"Yeah, I cleaned up a bit," Ciarán said, nodding his head toward the ground. "It's all ready." He turned his focus from Adrien to Jasper and I. "So you're coming along, very nice."

I looked up at Jubilee, who met my eyes for only a moment before flipping her hair into face, seeming in an effort to ward off any attention that could potentially fall on her—though it seemed to have the opposite effect. Helena moved to her side and linked arms with her. The two began to walk leisurely down the street.

"Thought it might be fun," Jasper replied with a shrug.

I glanced up at him as he spoke.

Ciarán stared intently at Jasper then looked down at me. It wasn't unfriendly, it was almost a look of confusion.

"Right, everyone's just coming along now. Shall we head on?" Adrien asked.

"Might as well. It's not like they can't find us, eh?" Ciarán said.

Jasper and I walked only few steps behind Adrien and Ciarán, who were carrying on a conversation about the band that would be performing that night. They talked about the possible changes in the lineup, potential songs they hoped to hear, and argued over whether the trumpeter of the last band they saw was any good. All through their conversation, Ciarán kept throwing furtive glances over his shoulder.

There was a moment of pause in their conversation.

"Animals," Jasper called out, as Ciarán glanced back again.

"I'm sorry?" Ciarán said, coming to a halt, and turning around to face us.

"You're curious about us. I'm guessing specifically about our eyes. They're not red, because we don't consume human blood."

The girls ahead of us turned around as well. Jubilee's eyebrows were raised.

"Oh," Ciarán looked over at Adrien, who nodded.

"You sort of missed the explanation. You'd already left," Adrien said, glancing up at Jubilee, whose face smoothed, "Both of you, by the looks of it."

"Interesting," Jubilee said quietly, before turning and continuing up the sidewalk.

Jasper squeezed my hand tightly for a moment.

There was a rush of air and suddenly there were others behind us.

I felt stomach involuntarily spasm in the briefest moment of panic as I whipped my head around and found myself face to face with the rest of the house's occupants.

"Oh you just found out! Interesting, isn't it?" Reg said with a grin.

"Yeah, that was Jubilee's word for it," Ciarán said, wagging his head toward Jubilee.

My grip on Jasper's hand relaxed immediately as I took in a deep breath. Being around new people would take some getting used to.

"Don't think I could survive that way, but I figure that leaves more for me," Reg said with a boisterous laugh as he clapped Jasper and I on the back.

"Are we just going to watch Helena and Jubilee walk away from us, or are we going to follow them?" Ximena asked.

"Well really, I was thinking, we could just stay here, and catch some tourists on the go," Ciarán said sarcastically.

We all began to walk as a group down the street.

"Sounds like fishing! I could go for some of that! No catch and release, if ya know what I mean!" Dick said loudly. He barked with laughter.

The sound was so obnoxious, that all of us, including Adrien, began to crack up. Within a block we were all howling with laughter.

"Ah, I love not being conspicuous," Winston said, sighing.

I glanced over my shoulder and grinned. "I think we'd stand out, regardless," I replied.

* * *

I definitely need to speak to the amount of time it's taken to write this chapter--my life took a very dramatic and unexpected turn in the last three months. Since then I've had to move, and deal with a lot of things that one never really wishes to deal with, but I'm safe now, and that's all that matters. That said, I'm able to focus on writing again. Chapter 4 is already being written. I'd like to take a moment to say thanks to the lambs at Altered Lions and Sacrificial Lambs--an amazing site dedicated to fic, fun, and well... you'll see. Trust me when I advise you, it isn't safe for work! They're at alsltwilight[DOT]blogspot[DOT]com. I also want to direct your attention to fabulous--and I mean fabulous, ladies (plus Joe and John,) of A Different Forest, where I'm now a VIP author. Come play in my cabin!

Catch me on Twitter, I'm JessOfRVA! Thanks for the reviews and patience and your sense of humor!


	4. Chapter 4: It's 'Ciarán'

Chapter Four

The band was already playing when we walked into the dimly lit restaurant. People crowded along the bar and grouped themselves around round café tables just behind the dance floor. The band sat on a wide stage at the front of the room.

The group of vampires immediately dispersed around the room, some making their way to the dance floor, others heading to the bar. Jasper and I stood in the entryway.

Jasper gave me an awkward smile and threw a glance around the room. "Dance?" he suggested.

"You know I suck," I replied with a shy smile.

"And you know I'm a good teacher," he rebutted.

My mind went back to the motel room in Iowa. "A superb lead," I thought.

I exhaled and took his outstretched hand

Jasper led me to the dance floor and eased my hands into place: a hand on his shoulder, a hand in his. His free hand slid down to my side, and he began to guide me across the floor.

He spun me, twirled me, dipped me, and swung me around, all with the grace only a vampire could hold. And I hung on for dear life, narrowly avoiding his feet with each turn. At one point he came dangerously close to being stepped on, and with a laugh, he lifted me, pulling me back into step.

There was laughter to our left and Ximena was giggling in the arms of Winston as he dipped her.

"Care to trade?" Winston asked, pulling Ximena up.

"I'm not waiting for a yes!" Ximena chuckled, sliding over and playfully cutting in between Jasper and I.

He stared over the top of her head with a look of, 'What do you want me to do?'

Before I could even respond, Winston had pulled me into his arms and began to spin me around. I laughed and squeezed my eyes shut, surrendering myself to my lead. I was by no means in control of where I was going, my feet simply tried to keep up.

When I opened my eyes, I met Winston's gaze, who looked pleased. "You know it's nice to see some of that nervousness wear away, Bella. I was beginning to wonder if that shy exterior was you, through and through."

My smile faltered and I shrugged. "I guess I was worried how we'd be received."

"You haven't been around a lot of other vampires before, have you?" he observed.

"Well, I have, it's just, I mean Jasper and I are not exactly…" I struggled.

"You thought we'd be rude about your diet?" he supplied.

"I wouldn't say rude, but I didn't know how you all would feel about us," I explained.

"Well it's definitely something different, but let's just say that as for Ximena, Reg, and me, we're more than anything ambivalent, and perhaps in the case of Reg, amused."

"Are you three a coven?" I asked.

"Yes, Ximena and I have been mates for the better part of two centuries. Reg joined us a few decades after that. We've been visiting Adrien's coven off and on for almost just as long."

"And who's in Adrien's?"

"Just the three: Adrien, Helena, and Jubilee. Ciarán has bouncing all over God's creation since he was reborn, vampiric vagabond," he said with a chuckle. "And you and Jasper, are you a coven?"

"We're a part of a larger one," I said wistfully. I felt a pang of guilt as I thought about my family. I would need to send them a note, maybe a postcard soon.

"More like you?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes, there are…" I hesitated for a moment, "six of us. Of course there's also another coven not too far off from our home that has also chosen to live this way." It was the first time I ever explained to anyone that my family was not made up of eight.

I took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Fascinating," Winston said, spinning me, and without warning, dipping me just as the final chord sounded to the song.

The band began to an up tempo song, and Winston glanced around as he pulled me upright. "I hope you'll forgive me, but I'd very much like to ask the woman in blue to dance," he said, giving a sly smile to a woman sitting at a table near the dance floor.

She gazed hungrily up at him, though it was Winston who quite literally gazed hungrily back.

"By all means," I said with as much enthusiasm I could muster. "Thank you for the dance."

"The pleasure was all mine," he said, escorting me from the dance floor before making a move toward the woman in a bright blue cocktail dress.

I glanced over and saw Ximena and Jasper were enjoying a conversation, so I made my way over to the bar. There was an open stool next to Jubilee. Given how she'd behaved toward me, I cautiously approached the seat.

"May I?" I asked timidly.

She looked up, somewhat shocked, as if I'd interrupted her thoughts. "By all means," she said, nodding.

We sat next to each other for a moment in silence, both of us watching the dance floor.

This crowd was fortunate that no one really paid them any mind—considering they weren't exactly hard to miss here. Their beauty and grace stood out amongst the dull, ordinary humans in the room. Some had taken to flirting with humans: Winston was dancing with the woman in the blue cocktail dress; Reg was leaning against a post, talking animatedly to a woman, the woman throwing back her head and laughing at his jokes. Dick wasn't exactly flirting, more like showing off as he demonstrated a coin trick that was only possible to do if you were a vampire. A group of men watched, completely baffled at the feat. Others were enjoying themselves with one another: Jasper and Ximena were dancing, and by the sounds of it, discussing Spain in the spring time; Adrien and Helena were lost in each other's eyes as they swayed this way and that in front of the band. Still, despite all the socializing, Ciarán and Jubilee had both stuck to themselves. Ciarán sat with his back to the crowd as he watched in a mirror at everything going on behind him. Jubilee contented herself by sitting cross legged, possibly doing exactly what I was doing: taking it all in.

"Carlisle," she said suddenly.

I jumped and looked at her. "You, you know him?" I stammered.

"No," she said, not looking over. "I just know of him."

"Oh." I felt very awkward. Was there something she expected me to say?

A beat later she looked over. "When there are only two groups of you all, it's not exactly hard to guess who you're with."

"Right…" I said, trying to grasp her point.

"So have you ever had human?" she asked, her gaze piercing.

"No," I said quietly, shaking my head.

"Why not?"

"Well when I was created, it was with the understanding that I would never drink human blood."

"But why not?" she pressed.

"Because I didn't want to become, um, I mean, I figured since I have the choice…" I stammered, not being particularly articulate.

"Because you wouldn't want to become what, a monster?" she asked. Her tone wasn't accusatory, more matter-of-fact.

"I wouldn't use those words," I said carefully.

"Yes, well, others have," she said pointedly, frowning and staring forward.

I thought it over for a moment. "Carlisle?" I asked.

"So I've heard."

"Sounds awfully judgmental," I murmured. It wasn't at all like Carlisle to be judgemental.

"More like holier than thou, but that's certainly a way of putting it," she snorted.

"I'm sorry, but have I done anything to offend you?" I asked, turning fully toward her.

"Let me ask you this: Why don't you want to become what the rest of us are?" she countered.

I took a deep breath and met her eyes. "Because I believe killing humans is immoral, especially since it is something I can control. If one person can live because I chose to have a deer, then I think there's something noble in that."

"Immoral implies sin," she said flatly.

"Well…" I began.

"It sounds like Carlisle isn't the only judgmental one," she said with raised eyebrows. With a final snort, she stood up and stalked away.

I frowned after her as I watched her walk away. There was nothing hostile in what she said. She had only spoken plainly. Still, I felt a sting in her word: Judgmental. Were we? I thought back over what I had just said: Immoral, noble, control… all of it implied other vampires were evil, lacking in virtue, and animalistic. The whole attitude sounded an awful lot like one of those health food nuts who lorded it over others: "I can't believe you're eating that! I only eat organic, low sugar, low fat, low carb, low sodium, non-processed food." And the people around that health nut undoubtedly wanted to choke her to death with a Swiss Colony Beef-and-Cheese log for all her smugness and superiority.

I sighed. Jubilee had a point.

I didn't have to look up when I heard someone sit beside me to know it was Jasper.

"Well that was interesting," he commented.

I glanced up and watched him staring out over the dance floor. I nodded solemnly.

Neither of us said anything further.

Jasper reached his hand out and gently trailed his fingers over my forearm.

Warmth washed over me as I relaxed into my seat.

"Yeah, that was interesting," I thought.

"Keer-ran, man! Come over and join the party!" Dick shouted across the bar.

Jasper and I both looked over. Ciarán's head snapped up and he looked over warily.

"It's Ciarán," he replied in a warning tone.

"That's what I said," Dick said nonchalantly. "Now come over Keer-ran, I want you to meet some people."

"Oh Lord," Adrien muttered from the dance floor before a stream of angry French followed.

A glance at the dance floor showed Adrien and Helena had stopped dancing.

"This ought to be fun," a voice said at my elbow.

I looked up and saw Reg had abandoned the woman he'd been charming and was now watching eagerly at the scene unfolding.

Ciarán glared at the group that surrounded Dick. The people's smiles and expressions of interest immediately evaporated. Several people backed away from Dick and melted into the surrounding crowd. Even in their ignorance of our world, their instincts told these people that the person giving this look was dangerous.

"Ciarán," he corrected again.

"Keerrrrrun," Dick attempted, rolling his r's with vigor. "Sorry, I don't have the big accent for it," he said lamely.

Ciarán chuckled darkly and stood up from the bar. He reached over and snatched up a cocktail napkin. "Can I get a pen please?" he called across the bar. He uttered a phrase in French, and the bartender immediately produced a pen. "Why don't you come over here, Dick? I'm going to give you a bit of an education."

Dick looked around warily, his eyebrows raised. "Alright," he said, sidling up alongside the bar.

"You'll want to watch this," Reg whispered theatrically.

I quirked an eyebrow and looked past Jasper, who was also watching with interest.

"Dick," Ciarán said, scrawling his name on the paper napkin in big black letters. "My name is spelled C-I-A-R-Á-N. The inflection is on the second syllable. Notice the Fada—"

"What, you mean that funny hat on the 'A'?" Dick interrupted, poking the napkin.

"Christ," Reg muttered, coughing hard, failing to cover up a bubble of laughter.

"That _funny hat_ is a symbol of my heritage!" Ciarán exclaimed."

"Here we go!" Reg said, rubbing his hands together with ill-concealed glee.

"Well—"

"That _funny hat_ represents a refusal to be oppressed by the American powers that be that tried and damn near succeeded in relegating my people to second class citizenry!" Ciarán sneered.

"I—"

"That _funny hat_ amounts to all that is left of my culture after it's had all that's good wrung out and reduced to a box of cereal _with marshmallows in it_!" he growled, his voice rising.

"Ciarán?" Reg said tentatively.

"What?" he barked, his head snapping in our direction.

"You know I hate to interrupt you when you're on a tear about the cultural rape and Diaspora of your people, but I do believe you're making a spectacle of yourself," Reg said brightly, glancing around.

A quick look around showed that the people sitting a few seats down from us at the bar had indeed stopped talking and were watching the scene that had begun to unfold in front of them.

"Bugger off!" Ciarán snapped, and three people who'd been peering curiously down the bar hopped up from their seats and scampered away, allowing us a fair bit of space without prying ears. "Thank you Reg," he said in a strained voice. "Where was I?"

"I believe you were about to tell us all about American exploitation and discrimination of the Irish," Reg prompted.

"Oh. Yes…" he said casting a glance over the four of us watching him. With the interruption, he had been knocked off his game.

Catching my curious expression, his eyebrows knit together. "Bella, how old are you?"

"You mean my whole age or just from when I was turned?" I asked.

"Your full age," he said kindly.

"28," I said, "I'll be 29 in September."

"I figured you were young," he nodded.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked, embarrassed.

"Yes," Ciarán, Reg, and Dick said in unison.

"Oh." My cheeks ached with embarrassment.

I felt Jasper's hand press against my lower back, and a warmth of comfort alleviated my embarrassment.

"What do you know about the Irish immigration during the 19th century?"

I hoped that the strain I was feeling internally wasn't showing on my face. One of the not so great things about being a vampire: All those times I suspected I might be wasting my time in high school, I was right—all of it was blurred away with the memories. European history was a distant and muddled memory. "Um, I know that the Irish immigrated to the United States in large numbers during that time period."

Ciarán sighed. "Clearly the American educational system is still lacking."

"Hey!" I cried defensively, putting my hands on my hips, "How old is Dick? I bet he was alive for that!" I scowling, jabbing a finger in Dick's direction.

Dick ducked his head, looking as though he would rather I'd have left him out of it, but I didn't appreciate being treated like a stupid kid though.

"Fair point," Ciarán said, glancing over at Dick. "Dick, how old are you?"

"Uh…" he trailed off, staring up at the ceiling. "Um, I'm about 189, give or take."

"Well then, Dick, what do you know about the Irish immigration of the 19th century?"

"I know that a lot of y'all showed up round about the time y'all stopped having food to eat," Dick said with a shrug. "The rest, I'm sure you'll be kind enough to fill us all in on…whether we like it or not."

Ciarán puffed out of his chest, looking ready to start raising his voice again.

A mingled feeling of calm and relaxation crept through and past me. Ciarán's harsh expression faded. He blinked once and then looked back at us, looking mildly confused.

I glanced at the floor and smiled, knowing Jasper could feel it.

"Ciarán, how does Irish immigration relate to your name?" Jasper asked quickly, seizing the moment.

"Well, er, Jasper, it relates very much so…yes," Ciarán said, blinking a few times. "You see when I was younger and far more interested in the "human experience," I found myself wishing to escape the horrors of my homeland. Indeed, it was convenient enough to hunt in a land where nearly a million people lay dying, but there was something sickening about it for me. I couldn't bear to watch Ireland deteriorate that way. So I traveled to the United States. Even as a vampire, I'd heard and come to believe that it was the land of opportunity. That American Dream was an alluring one, even for someone like me."

I heard a guttural groan, and a quick glance to the dance floor confirmed that Adrien was aggravated with the turn in the conversation. Helena was doing her best to engage him in a discussion about a new exhibit at a museum, but he wasn't appearing to be having it.

"When I came over, I opted to do it formally—as I said, I still held this ideal toward behaving as human as possible. I took a ship over, and I came in through an immigration office—"

"Ellis Island?" I asked, hoping to score some points and demonstrate that the American educational system hadn't completely failed me.

"Wasn't open yet," Jasper said, shaking his head.

Ciarán nodded appreciatively at Jasper. "No, though I did come in through New York. But it was in that immigration office that I had my first encounter of Anti-Irish sentiment. The immigration officer declared 'Ciarán' to be far too Irish and difficult to spell, so he gave me a new name."

We all looked at him expectantly.

"Keer-ren," he said bitterly, his face contorting as though he needed to spit.

"And, and, you forgot the best part," Reg goaded.

With a glare, Ciarán cleared his throat. "And they changed my surname, my father's name, of Fermanagh," he paused for a moment for dramatic effect, "To _Smith_!" Ciarán began to pace a small circle in front of us. "Sparing that man's life did me little good. I still had to kill the man who wanted to give me a medical exam—he said that Irish were known disease carrying vermin. And when I managed to get away from the damned office, I found myself in a never ending stream of anti-Irish hatred. NINA, 'no Irish need apply.' Didn't matter that I didn't need a job, it didn't stop at jobs—Irish are filthy, ill tempered Catholic idolaters, given to the drink. Womanizers, foul mouthed brawlers—"

"None of which is true at all," Reg said sarcastically.

"Alright, you feckin NED, I've had enough of your contributions," Ciarán said, his eyes flashing.

Reg whooped with laughter and ran away from us to join Helena and a very bored looking Adrien.

"You didn't tell him about the pronunciation, did you Reg?" Adrien asked, scowling.

"You know Adrien, it completely slipped my mind. My deepest apologies," he replied with a dramatic bow, before holding out his hand to Helena, who grinned and began to dance with him.

Ciarán continued, not to be put off topic in the slightest. "The fact that all someone had to do was size me up as being Irish, and automatically I was the lowest of the low killed whatever human feelings I had left in me."

"And he went on a bender!" Reg shouted from across the room.

I giggled and slapped a hand over my mouth. Dick and Jasper sniggered as well.

"I may have gone on a bit of a spree," Ciarán admitted, his harsh expression cracking into a sheepish smile. "I made it my mission to always carry with me the utmost respect and love for the land bore me life, and to defend against any slight against it, be it in word or deed."

"So you start fights over your name?" Dick asked, sounding a bit uninterested.

"Among other things," Adrien said, walking up behind Ciarán and clearing his throat. "Well if you're done, Ciarán, I believe it might be time to start our evening," he said pointedly.

"I believe some of y'all already have," Dick said, hazarding a look around the room.

My eyes searched the room. Ximena, Jubilee, and Winston had already made their exits.

"Might as well," Ciarán said with a shrug. "I already hunted earlier, but you know I can always go for seconds."

"We better get going too," Jasper murmured in my ear. There was a slight strain in his voice, and I could guess that the change in mood was likely having an effect on him.

"We'll see you all later then," Adrien said with a nod.

Reg and Helena were making their way out of the bar. Helena waved at me before ducking out the door.

"Happy hunting," Adrien called over his shoulder.

Ciarán was fiddling the buttons on his jacket as he passed Jasper and I. I reached out and touched his arm making he jumped.

"Thank you for telling us about your name," I said sweetly.

He looked a bit taken aback, and nodded briefly before following everyone out the door.

"Y'all are really going to eat animals?" Dick asked, his brow furrowing.

"Indeed, we really are," Jasper replied, smiling.

"Well, I don't get it, but have fun, I guess," he said with a shrug. "Get a big ole buck for me, darlin'," he said, winking.

Jasper's hand tensed in mine briefly. I looked up at him. His jaw was tense, and his smile was off, but I couldn't decide what was wrong.

"I will," I said quickly, glancing back at Dick.

We offered our goodbyes and he was out the door with the rest.

I turned and looked at Jasper quizzically. "What's wrong?" I asked.

He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "I just hate it when Southern men use the word 'darlin'.' It's so damn cheesy and stereotypical."

* * *

Y'all are AMAZING! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews—I wish I had time to reply to everyone, but as always, time's at a premium. I'm pleased to report Chapter 5 is half written, and I anticipate that being out VERY soon! Please check out the fantastic Altered Lions and Sacrificial Lambs, the delicious Jasper's Darlin's, the sexy little minxes A Different Forest (where I have a VIP cabin!) Thanks to my pre-reader pixievamp08 and my beta ohfiyera (aka twi_ction), without whom I would not be the moderately (okay, slightly,) sane person I am right now.


	5. Chapter 5: La Forêt

Chapter 5

Jasper's hand didn't leave mine as we snaked our way through Paris proper and its outlying suburbs. There was a sense of urgency in his step, and I worried that maybe we'd waited too long between hunting trips.

It wasn't until we'd reached the forest Adrien had shown Jasper that he finally stopped.

"Are you—" I began in an alarmed voice, but was immediately stopped with a finger over my lips.

Jasper tilted his head and stared off intently. A moment later he shook his head, looked down at me, and smiled. "Sorry," he murmured, lifting his finger. He leaned down and placed a swift kiss on my lips. "I wanted to make sure we were completely alone before we began talking."

"Oh," I said, understanding. "Do we need to be on guard?" I asked nervously.

"I mean, we don't know them, know them. I just want to be safe, because it's not exactly like these are people whom we've known for years. It's not like if we were to have a private conversation in a separate part of the house and Carlisle and everyone else were to hear it. It's just a good idea to show some caution around strangers." Jasper said, nodding his head back and forth.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Carlisle and everyone else…" I thought wistfully.

His eyes shifted down to me. "What?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"I…"

"You miss them, don't you?" he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"No, I mean, I do, but…" I struggled to define how I felt.

"You're so good at feeling guilty, Bella," Jasper said, trailing his fingers down my jaw. "What can we do to help you feel better?" I felt the tendrils of emotions pulling at me: Fear, worry, anxiousness.

"I was thinking about a postcard? I mean Charlie and Renee will be looking for one soon enough anyway," I shrugged.

Jasper immediately looked relieved. "I'll pick up stamps for you tomorrow morning," he replied, smiling.

The feelings of anxiety morphed into contentment, and I relaxed. Something about that smile just made things feel…smoother, easier.

Jasper turned and took my hand, leading me further into the woods. "So what do you think of our host?" he asked casually.

I thought it over for a moment before I spoke. "I think he's nice, but…" I said, trailing off.

"But you don't trust him?"

"Pretty much," I nodded.

"Well while he does have his ulterior motives like his 'archiving,' he's otherwise pretty much on the level. He has a lot of pride, a love for order that airs on the side of pompousness, and a strong sense of the 'right way of doing things,' which is why he probably can't stand Dick."

"Thank you for confirming my suspicions!" I laughed. "I wondered about that."

"Adrien loathes him," he said, chuckling. "But that didn't start until Dick cut you off during the introductions. I think it pissed Adrien off," he said with a slight tone of admiration.

"What's that?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"_That_ tone. I know that tone. Why do you have it?"

"Let's just say while it is not quite to the extent of Adrien, I do enjoy a show of nice manners," he said, his eyes staring intently into mine. "And he did cut you off," he added, grinning.

"I didn't even notice," I said, thinking back, trying to recall such a thing happening. "So Adrien hates Dick because of me?"

"I doubt that, but it seemed like that's where it started, getting things off on the wrong foot, what have you. But I think it goes back to that love of order. It's almost an obsession—the collections, the archiving, the old world ways: it's all neatly appointed and organized," he said with a tone of admiration. "It's damn near militaristic," he said with a snort.

"And you like that," I commented.

"It's just refreshing," he replied with a shrug.

I pondered this for a moment. He was comforted, or at least, felt more at ease in this environment. I wondered if that meant he wasn't as comfortable in places like Forks. I had never stopped to notice if he was really enjoying himself. Or maybe it was that I had no basis for comparison.

Jasper frowned slightly, trying to interpret my emotions, but I shook my head, wanting to keep those thoughts to myself for now.

"Helena is something else though, huh?" I asked, changing the topic.

"Huh," Jasper chuckled once, "Yes, she's a firecracker alright. Adrien puts on a good act, pretending to run that house, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," I replied, grinning. "Adrien might be the man of the house, but Helena is most definitely the head of it."

"Isn't that the way it is in all houses?" Jasper teased.

"Only in the ones with smart men," I replied, poking Jasper in the side.

He grinned and squirmed slightly.

We were silent for a few minutes as we continued to walk soundlessly through the woods.

"What happened on the stairs?" I asked quietly.

"I've been wondering the same thing. It was as though one minute she was fine, happy even, and the next she was…" He trailed off.

"What?" I asked my brow furrowing.

"She was overcome with grief. It was damn near crippling. It was as though she'd suddenly remembered something that made her feel like she'd never be happy again. Like…" he said, stopping for a moment.

I turned to face him and watched him intently, watching his face as he stared upwards.

He reached out and took my hand and stared down at me earnestly. "It was like being around you right after we found you by the fire," he said cautiously, running his thumb over my fingers.

I nodded, and a twinge pain sounded somewhere between my stomach and my chest.

He squeezed my hand, and allowed me a moment.

He took a deep breath and continued. "I did the only thing I could think of," he said guiltily as he began to walk again.

"What was that?" I asked.

He looked down at me, his eyes traveling up and down for a moment, and then looking ahead again. "I made her feel better," he said quietly.

I nodded my head, turning over in my mind all the information I'd gained in the short time I'd been around Adrien's group.

Suddenly I stopped and turned to Jasper, who looked up in surprise and stopped as well. "And what the hell was that with Jubilee?" I asked, in an affronted tone.

Jasper laughed. "Yeah, I was wondering when you were going to get to that."

"Are we judgmental?" I demanded.

"Well…" he said weakly, trailing off.

I felt trickles of guilt radiating off of him and I raised my eyebrows. "You think we're judgmental too!" I said, pulling my hand from his and walking away.

"Bella, wait!" he called, falling into step with me. "You have to consider it from their perspective—we're going against our nature. Think about it, even those few times as a newborn that you had to be reined in, even though you knew you didn't want to, you still _wanted_ human blood, and you hated yourself for having to ignore that instinct. To those outside of the Cullens and Denalis _we_ are the bizarre ones, betraying our natural instincts. And to pass it off as a moral thing, it's passing judgment on their morals, integrity, and their whole existence. That makes them see us as…as…" he said, struggling to find the words.

I turned around and faced him with my arms crossed over my chest. "Judging them," I replied in defeat, having seen his point.

"Well yeah," he said, sighing deeply.

"Do you think I judged you that night?" I asked, thinking back to Texas, to the rooftop when Jasper crouched before me, his eyes red from consuming the blood of so many humans.

"Bella," Jasper said, closing the space between us and putting his arms around me. "All that was there was a genuine sense of caring. It's why I came with you in the first place. But no matter how much our family loves me, I knew that they would still look at me in _that _way."

"What about before? Did I judge you, when I was human?" I pressed.

He rested his chin on the top of my head and was quiet for a moment. "There were many times when you enjoyed my company, worried for me, felt cautious around me, and even a few times when you justifiably feared me, but there was never a time that I can recall that I felt judged by you."

I leaned back and looked into his face for some reassurance. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he said kissing my forehead. "It's one of the many reasons why I knew you were meant to be a part of this family—I knew if you could look at people like myself and the rest of the family with all their weaknesses, including wanting to kill you on more than one occasion, and not see a pack of animals, that it was kismet."

We were quiet for a few minutes, standing there in the dim of the woods. All around us were sounds of the living forest. There were familiar smells, and then there were ones I couldn't place—at least a few animals I had never encountered before. The smell was pleasant, and I found myself wanting to pursue whatever these strange things were.

Jasper's arms slid away from me as he watched me knowingly.

I looked around through the trees. There were animals near, listening for any signs of danger, perhaps sensing that the predator was about to begin her hunt. I fought to remain focused on the most important question. "Do you trust them?" I whispered.

He sighed deeply and stared down into my face. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I want to, but one can't afford to trust just anyone. Not anymore," he added darkly.

"We'll just have to keep an eye on them."

"Lot of them to keep an eye on, but I think between the two of us, we'll manage. And if things are amiss or if we get bored with staying here, we can go somewhere else."

"Okay," I said, now feeling the pangs of desire. I knew there was something on a couple hundred yards away, something that I wanted to hunt.

"Have fun," he whispered, stepping back.

I closed my eyes and listened until I found it, then I took off through the trees, making a beeline for it.

Wild boar was surprisingly satisfying. It wasn't quite the same as a carnivore, like a mountain lion, but there was something earthy about it that left me feeling warm and sated.

I knew Jasper would hear I had finished and would be starting his hunt in a few minutes. I pulled myself up the trunk of an enormous tree, and arranged myself across a thick branch halfway up. Lying perfectly balanced on my back, I stared up at the stars that were visible through the canopy.

I began to mentally write the postcards I would be sending in the morning.

Renee…she'd want more details than I could fit.

_Mom,_

_ Paris is amazing. I've gotten to see some of the city, but I've seen some of the countryside as well. It's really beautiful. I went to a museum today, Musee D'Orsay. It's a modern art museum. I'm staying in the "Roman" part of the city, which I've been told is one of the oldest parts. The architecture is so different from anything I've seen in the US._

_ Stop worrying about me. I'm fine, and having fun!_

_ Love,_

_Me_

Charlie would want the basics—to know I was having a good time, and that I was safe.

_Dad,_

_ I wish I had learned to speak French before I came here. I've already embarrassed myself (more than usual.) Cab drivers here seem especially sensitive, but then again, Jasper did try to speak Spanish to him. I guess it's never too late? I'm having a great time, despite the language barrier!_

_ I hope you and Sue are still getting together for dinner. Otherwise I'll have to give you my speech on how man can't survive on microwave dinners and fried fish alone. Paris is nice._

_ Love,_

_ Me_

_Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett,_

_ We're okay._

_ Love,_

_ J & B_

"We're okay," I thought. My chest swelled with the silly feeling one gets when they think of something wonderful.

Somewhere, off in the distance, I heard Jasper take down a deer. It seemed like it was getting easier for him.

The breeze gently swept up the scent of soil and trees. A quiet symphony swirled around me as the wind tossed the forest lightly.

My chest loosened, and I exhaled slowly. I let my arm dangle below me and amused myself by swinging it back and forth with the ground ten or so feet below me. "It's so peaceful here," I thought.

Closing my eyes, I allowed myself travel through the woods, weaving past trees, over little hills and dales, through brush and leaves, over every stone and fallen branch. My own form of meditation, I found my way through the whole wood through my sense of hearing.

My focus rested momentarily on a family of rabbits, they sounded so much larger than the rabbits I was familiar with. "Maybe they're bigger here," I thought. High up in the trees I could hear an owl crunching on its fresh kill. Beneath it, mice cowered in their dens, nestled at the base of the tree. Then there was a larger sound, further off. I didn't recognize it at all.

"Clawed paws," I murmured aloud, squeezing my eyes tightly. I breathed in deeply, trying to catch the scent, but the wind wasn't blowing in my favor. "Clawed paws," I repeated, listening to the scritching and scratching of the claws as it dug around in the earth. It snuffled as it turned over the dirt with its paws.

There was a rapid set of footsteps, then silence. Suddenly a hand grasped my dangling hand.

Without opening my eyes, I swung Jasper up into the tree, over my head. His hand left mine, and a second later, I felt the branch sway under his weight.

"Badger."

"Badger?" I repeated without opening my eyes.

"Clawed paws?"

"Oh. Right! Thanks," I said, turning over onto my back and looking up at him as he sat against the tree's trunk.

"Hunting go alright?" I asked.

Jasper quirked an eyebrow, "Yeah, I think I'll be fine for a while," he said with a knowing expression as he saw through the subtext of my words.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment in embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

"I know you didn't," he said with a shrug. "It's easy to worry about the people you care for."

I laughed quietly and paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "I guess it's just that being around them, I don't want you to feel like…"

"Like I'm missing out on something?" he supplied.

"Yeah."

"You don't need to worry. I promise to get what I need," he said gently. He watched me for a moment, the corner of his mouth turned up, watching my face. "You ready to go back?"

I sat up and shook my head. "Let's stay here a little bit longer?" I asked softly.

He nodded and slid down the trunk of the tree to a seated position and patted his chest.

I gladly crawled over to him and lay my head against him as his arms surrounded me.

He let out a contented sigh, and as a light breeze broke over us, a wave of happiness and relaxation flowed over through me, from him, and from me, through him.

* * *

The courtyard was alight with the warm glow coming from the windows that had been thrown open to the balmy spring air. The chattering of both the fountain and the voices of Winston and Ximena greeted us.

"Happy hunting?" Winston asked as they rose from the bench alongside the fountain.

"Pleasant," Jasper said with a nod. "And you?"

"Productive," Winston replied with a nonchalant shrug. "How does our, er, game compare to what you all have in the States?" he asked politely.

"A bit more variety here," Jasper replied.

"Do you find yourself equally satisfied by animal blood as you would by human?" Ximena asked, leaning into Winston and placing a hand on his upper arm.

"It takes the edge off," Jasper said awkwardly.

I sensed Jasper's discomfort. "I got a boar," I said abruptly, trying to shift the focus.

"Really?" Winston said with interest, turning to me, eyebrows raised.

"Yes," I said nervously. "I…I'd never had it before," I said faintly.

"And did it suit you?" he asked.

"It will…it'll do for now," I said shrugging a shoulder.

"Does the flavor vary greatly from species to species?" Ximena asked, leaning into Winston and placing a hand on his upper arm.

"The diet of the animal changes the flavor," Jasper said. "Carnivores taste the best."

"Do humans taste really different from one another?" I asked, the question suddenly occurring to me.

"You mean you've never even had human before?" Ximena asked in a shocked tone.

"No," I said quietly, looking back and forth between the three.

"But…how?" she asked, her voice rising.

"Bella had the benefit of choice when she became one of us," Jasper said, stepping in quickly.

An awkward silence filled the air as they both gaped at me.

I stared down at my hands, fidgeting, regretting having asked the question. I looked up at Jasper, embarrassed.

Jasper reached over and closed a hand over both of mine. "Just as with animals, the diet can have an impact, along with substances in the blood system such as drugs or alcohol, or the chemicals they're exposed to on a daily basis," he said, staring determinedly into my eyes.

Winston and Ximena continued to stare at me.

"It's not just vampire thing," a voice called from overhead, breaking the silence.

We all turned and looked up to see Adrien standing in the frame of a window, leaning out over the rail.

"Humans do it with their food too," he said with a shrug. "Enough talk about hunting when we've already had our fill. Bella, Jasper, would you care to join the rest of us in the drawing room?" He spoke with such authority that I felt compelled to comply, though I was grateful for the excuse to abandon the awkward conversation.

"Yes," I said, with a wave of relief. "Are you coming along?" I asked politely, turning back to Winston and Ximena.

"I think we'll enjoy the night air for a bit longer," Winston said, looking down at Ximena with a charming smile.

"We'll be up soon," Ximena said, without taking her eyes away from Winston.

With a nod, I headed into the house, Jasper closely behind. Following the sounds of others, we found ourselves in the dark green room that led to Adrien's office.

It appeared everyone but Reg had returned from hunting. Everyone was situated around the room, attending to their own activities.

Dick sat on the floor beside the lit fireplace, plucking away quietly on a guitar. Helena appeared to be drawing something, as she sat back on the couch. Jubilee looked out of place as she tapped away furiously on a handheld video game.

Adrien emerged from his office with a wooden box in hand. "Jasper, backgammon?" he asked, shaking the box lightly.

"Sure," Jasper said brightly, joining Adrien at the coffee table and sitting on the edge of an arm chair.  
Feeling out of place, without an activity of my own, I wondered if I should run upstairs and get my book from my bag.

"If you're interested, you're more than welcome to peruse the library," Adrien said, as he laid out the white and black disks on the board.

I gazed through the open doorway of the office at the rows of books. I glanced at Jasper, who seized the die and rolled it.

"Thanks," I said, smiling as Adrien nodded and took the die and rolled as well.

Entering the office, it felt as though I were stepping onto hallowed ground. The impressive collections demanded respect and awe.

I reverently ran my fingers over the spines of the books, taking in the topics. I reached the end of one shelf, and continued back down another, looking for something that would strike my interest. There were books on everything—art, poetry, literature, science, math, and the history of many places and people. There was even a small collection of cookbooks. The last group made me pause and I chuckled quietly to myself.

I reached the section of books that Adrien had written. My hand lingered over the first volume of his collection entitled, "Romances and Interludes." With a morbid sense of curiosity, I pulled it from the shelf and headed back into the drawing room.

Sitting on the opposite end of the couch from Helena, I opened it, and delved into the stories of vampires who had found love, some who had kept it, others who had not, and of those who found intrigue and delight in interactions with other vampires and humans alike.

It was interesting, discovering that love seemed almost just complicated and fleeting for vampires as it was for humans. I found myself a little shocked at the number of vampires who had fallen in love with humans and had consequently turned them. Out of the dozen or so stories in this volume, there were three who had found their soul mate in a human.

I felt a little silly, but it hadn't occurred to me that there could be many others like Edward and I.

The hours passed, and by the time I was finishing the last story (about Jade and Christopher, who had found one another while traveling through a desert in Africa,) the sky had begun to lighten.

"Well done," Adrien conceded over the board to Jasper.

"Thanks," Jasper said graciously.

"And well timed too, it's time for me to head out," he added, rising. "I'll see everyone in a few hours." He crossed the room and placed a small kiss on Helena's cheek. "I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too," she replied with a sigh of contentment.

With a nod he walked out of the room. The front door opened and closed, and with a brief farewell to Winston and Ximena, Adrien headed away from the house.

"Where is he going?" I asked, curiously.

"Mass," Helena said, glancing up at me.

"Oh," I said. I looked back down at my book without seeing the words. He was going to church. That was interesting.

"Reg is back," Jasper said with a smirk.

I wondered what the face was about.

"Home, all!" Reg called, as he practically skipped through the house and into the room.

"Have a nice time?" Helena asked with a knowing smile.

"Lovely," he replied, wagging his eyebrows. "I think she did as well," he added, laughing.

Dick snorted and his fingers faltered over the strings, the chord sounding dissonant and wrong.

I looked back and forth between everyone, disliking the feeling that I was missing something.

Seeing my confused look, Jasper opened his mouth to speak, but Reg spoke up first. "I like my prey to have a little recreation before I consume it. It seems only fair, and really, a hell of a way for it to go out of this world."

"Oh," I said. Then his meaning dawned on me, and I felt my cheeks ache in embarrassment. "_Oh_," I said understanding.

"Incubus," Jasper said with a snort.

"And damn proud of it," Reg said with a grin. "Why be the monster under their bed when you can be the monster _in_ their bed?"

"And that, sir is why it's so much more fun to be a vampire," Dick concluded.

"Here, here," Reg cheered.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who's taken the extra minute (or minutes!) to review this story-it's always really cool to hear from y'all! Thanks to twi_ction and mcruscito for their beta-ing skills! Please check out the new banner for Vie made by the AMAZING bexi21! I've posted a link to it on my profile. As always, A Different Forest is always a fun place to play, especially at my cabin. I have a few one shots in the works, and I'll hopefully be posting them soon. Thanks for taking the time to read!


	6. Chapter 6: The Hidden Door

The sun peeked through the open window and warmed my feet. A gentle breeze rustled the curtains and brought with it the scents of Paris in the spring; the air smelled warm and dry. There would be no rain today and Jasper would not return until after sun down.

Restlessly, I turned over and sat up, sliding forward on the couch. Carefully marking my page with the attached black silk ribbon, I closed my book, temporarily abandoning Claudine, Georgette, and Raoul as they waged battle for their coven's control over Carmel. Their adventure could wait.

I rose and crossed the room to the bookshelf and replaced the book in the narrow gap between "Skirmishes, Battles, and Wars," Volumes IV and VI.

In the two weeks we'd been at the Maison de Genvieve, I'd slowly devoured the archives, section by section. They were my textbooks, providing me insight I had not otherwise acquired through my upbringing, my _vampire_ upbringing. I had not otherwise been disposed to a well rounded education, and though the stories were merely accounts of personal experiences, I felt a deeper connection to my kind than I had before.

But that had come through more than just the books. I found myself watching the others constantly. Their restraint was subtle. Unlike the Cullens, well, everyone except for Carlisle, these vampires did not shy away from human interaction. They welcomed it—and not just when they were pursuing prey. I began to notice a perfected method; engaging humans in conversation and flirtation alike. It became clear that they were practicing for the times they might otherwise be hunting. And they seemed to enjoy this! It was all without strain or discomfort or boredom. I could only describe it with one of the few French phrases I knew: joie de vivre.

I did not know what to make of it, and neither did Jasper. Still, whether he admitted it or not, I knew he was enjoying himself, as was I.

The house was quiet, and with the exception of Jubilee, who was working in the garden, I was alone here. Jasper had left early in the morning to do some hunting. The others had gone off to their own activities. I didn't always know where everyone went though. Today I knew Ciarán, Reg, and Dick had headed north to make a large purchase. Winston and Ximena had left the day before, but hadn't mentioned a destination or purpose. I never knew how long people would be when they left the house, it could be hours or it could be days. One day Ximena came home with a large painting she'd deemed to be quite valuable, but bought cheaply at a junk shop. The next day the painting left the house and Ximena returned with a wallet fat with Euros and a new Christian Lacroix handbag. Ciarán disappeared for a week and returned without explanation, his clothes tattered and smelling of saltwater. This past Monday Dick returned to the house, having acquired an accordion. On Tuesday Adrien informed Dick of a previously unmentioned rule that accordions could only be played for an hour a day.

I learned they didn't always leave through the front door. In fact more often than not, people would come from the kitchen, having come through a thick iron door that stayed hidden beneath a mat located in the center of the floor. I did not question where the door led, but I had my suspicions. Moods were always higher and eyes were always brighter when they emerged from the dark hole below.

I could hear Jubilee puttering around, terracotta pots clunking, as she softly hummed to herself. Having learned my lesson years before with Rosalie, I didn't care to force my company on someone who had the clear disposition of disliking me. I had opted to avoid Jubilee since the night she'd confronted me. I didn't care to continue the conversation, and it seemed as though she didn't either. So when everyone had gone their separate ways for the day, I contented myself with books in Adrien's office, on the opposite side of the house from the garden.

I wandered around the office, feeling bored and restless. I didn't want to read anymore, but there wasn't anything for me to do or anywhere to go. I considered briefly going upstairs for the DS Jasper had gotten me for the trip, but even that held little interest for me.

I looked over the shelves with all their many collections. On one of them was a shadow box that held a small collection of teeth and claws. One claw in particular stood out. Gnarled, black, and thick, I knew it had belonged to a bear of some sort.

I smiled as I thought of the time when Emmett took a massive bear-slap to the mouth and came away with a claw locked in his teeth, much to the bear's shortly-felt dismay. He still had the claw around somewhere. He had talked about putting it on a chain or something and wearing it as a necklace.

I wondered if he had ever gotten around to it. Before I considered what I was doing, my phone was out, the number was dialed, and the ringing droned.

"Yellooo?" a voice said in an automatic tone. Clearly he hadn't bothered looking at the caller ID.

"Did you ever put that bear claw on a chain?" I blurted out.

"Bella?" Emmett shouted.

I held the phone away from my ear and winced. "Hey," I said in an overly casual tone.

"You don't call for months, you send a cryptic, not to mention short ass postcard, and the first thing you ask about is the damn bear claw?" he said incredulously, still shouting.

"Yeah?" I said weakly. "So did you?"

"Did I what?" he asked distractedly.

"The bear claw," I prompted.

"Oh, right. Um, no. I think it's in a drawer somewhere." He sighed deeply and there was a long breadth of silence. "Sorry, I'm still dealing with the fact that I'm talking to you."

"I know," I said apologetically. "I…things got complicated. Fast," I said lamely.

"Apparently," he said, and chuckled. "So Paris, huh? That's a long way from San Antonio."

"Yeah," I said, breathing deeply and then telling him how we'd come to be an ocean away.

In my retelling, I left out the part about Jasper and I…being Jasper _and_ I.

"So now you're just hanging with French vamps."

"Not exactly. Now I'm hanging with vamps in France," I said, cocking my head to the side as I stared out a window that overlooked the courtyard and the fountain.

"What's that like?" he asked in hushed awe.

"It's really different, but not at the same time. We're all doing our own thing. I suddenly feel like a newborn all over again," I admitted.

"You mean you're—" he said quickly.

"No," I said, cutting him off as I realized the implication. "I just mean that everything seems new all over again. I feel like there's this whole part of being a vampire I didn't know about."

"What part is that?"

"Sometimes it feels like I've been a vampire trying to be a human. And the people here, they're…" I trailed off, struggling with my words. "They're just trying to be. They don't carry around this resentment about being a vampire; they embrace it." I said with an air of admiration. "Some more than others," I added, thinking of Reg's roguish intrigues.

There was silence on the other end of the line, and if I had the active sweat glands, I'd have been wiping my brow.

"Say something" I said nervously after a full minute of awkward silence.

"I just thinking, that's all," Emmett said quietly.

I waited, knowing he was trying to articulate his thoughts as clearly as possible.

"I can see the appeal," he said finally. "I don't regret anything about who and what I am, but I know I act differently from some of the family, but I don't let them get me down when they're particularly out of love with life. But we're very different, you and I, and I'm glad you've found a place that shows you that being a vampire isn't all doom and gloom. And I do hope you're being careful, because the influence of your peers can be very, very hard to fight," he said sincerely.

"It's not like that," I said quietly.

"I'm just saying. I just want you to be careful, that's all."

I smiled and continued my circuitous pacing around the room. "I've missed you a lot Em. I'm really sorry I left without much—"

"You did what you had to do, and you got Jazz out of there. That's what counts," he said forcefully.

"Well I promise you didn't miss out on any fighting."

"Yeah, Carlisle filled us in a little bit, and what he didn't know, eventually Levi filled us in on the rest. Apparently you talked your way out of a tight space. Not exactly my style, but you know, whatever works," Emmett said with a chuckle.

"Yeah…somehow I imagine me trying to kick everyone's ass and leave town unnoticed wouldn't have gone over well," I frowned for a moment at the thought then smiled slyly. "Not that I couldn't have pulled it off," I added seriously.

"Right," Emmett said, both of us laughing.

We both sighed and it became quiet again.

"You sound a lot better Bells."

"I feel better," I said quietly.

"How's Jasper? Is he there?" Emmett asked.

"He's better too. He's actually out hunting right now. There's a forest on the outskirts of town that has some decent game."

"So you got him back on the wagon."

"Yeah, it wasn't easy, and God knows he didn't want to, but he got himself there."

"With help, I'm sure," he said knowingly. "And what about you? Are you eating again, or is he force feeding you squirrels like I almost had to?" he teased.

"No, I'm hunting," I said embarrassed and indignant.

There was a beat, and I swore I could hear him smiling on the other end of the line. "You really are getting better," he said, amused.

I laughed and changed the subject. "How is everyone?" I asked.

"They're alright. Carlisle's doing what he always does, the life of an ER doctor. He's talking about doing some work with Doctors Without Borders maybe. Esme's working with the nursing home and the schools, doing this community garden and adopt a grandparent program. Everyone seems to really be enjoying it, Esme especially. Rose, well, Rose and I are going to be picking another college soon, going to play that out, learn some new shit. She's thinking environmental engineering. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do."

"Sounds like y'all are good," I said, smiling softly.

"Excuse me, what the hell did you just say?" he asked in a startled voice.

I frowned. "I said it sounds like you guys are good," I repeated.

"No you didn't," he said in a triumphant voice. "You said 'y'all,'" he said pointedly.

"Oh," I said, staring off for a moment, having not noticed it until he pointed it out. "I guess I did," I said, shrugging. "Jasper's rubbing off on me a little, maybe?"

"Uh-huh," Emmett said flatly.

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. The hair on the back of my neck prickled, and it felt almost though Emmett was looking across the vast distance between us with some appraising, penetrating look.

I heard him take in a deep breath, as though to steady himself before speaking. "Well it sounds like _y'all_ are good for each other. I'm glad you guys are doing okay," he said, sounding as though he was weighing each word carefully.

I nodded, not that he could see. "Yeah," I said, sighing.

"Listen, I hate to do this, but if I'm late to meet Rose, she'll kill me. You know how she gets on an empty stomach," he said mischievously.

I chuckled. "Alright. Send my love?"

"And more," Emmett replied. "Take care of yourself. And tell Jasper I said, 'What up!' And don't be such a damn stranger. I _will_ fly out to Paris and come looking for you two if you do," he said in feigned sternness.

"I will, I will, and I won't!" I rattled off.

"That's my girl! Talk to ya!"

I closed my phone and slid it into my pocket and continued to pace the room.

My mood was heightened, but the room felt as though it were pressing in again. I paced another three steps before looking up at the painting on the wall. Helena's painting was still remarkable to me. My eyes trained upon the figure of Adrien and took in the vibrance of the colorful flowers and lifelike quality of the light.

I was pulled from my meditations by the sound of footsteps coming toward the office. There was a soft knock at the door, and I turned to see Adrien standing in the doorway.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," he said politely as he stepped into the room.

"No, not at all," I said, turning and smiling.

"Still taken by the painting, I see," he said as he came and stood next to me.

"Yes, quite," I said, looking back up at it.

"Helena's had years of practice and study, more than any master has ever been afforded."

"And yet there's something else," I said, more to myself than to him as I stared at it, my brow creased.

He watched me for a moment then spoke. "Well I'll tell you, I'm sure if you ask Hel about painting, she'll gladly tell you more about it."

I nodded, not speaking.

Adrien cleared his throat, and I looked up. "I don't mean to be rude, but I have need of my study," he said with a rueful smile.

"Of course," I said, embarrassed for having missed his subtle hint previously.

"Thank you for understanding," he said, nodding. "Helena's returned and is busy in the kitchen. I'm sure she'd love your company."

I nodded and excused myself from the room. I followed the sounds coming from the kitchen. Curious smells came from the swinging door, but what exactly it was, I couldn't tell. I pushed the door open and was hit with the rich, fragrant scent.

Helena stood on a small step stool over a large caldron-sized and shaped copper kettle which sat on the stove. She poured a clear, pale gold liquid into the pot. She was wearing a long, floral apron that was covered in grease stains.

"Hello Bella!" she called cheerfully.

"Hi Helena," I said, watching her as she hopped down and set aside the now empty jug.

"So are you ready to see how we make a living?" she said, rubbing her hands on her apron.

"Sure," I said, looking curiously over her shoulder at the collection of jugs and bottles sitting on the counter.

"Lovely," she said, grinning. "You can grab an apron from the cupboard there," she said, pointing.

I opened it, pulled out another stained apron, and put it on.

"You might want to tie your hair back," she said helpfully. Her own dark curls were pulled back into a loose bun.

I nodded and pulled mine away from my face, securing it into a ponytail.

"So what are we doing?" I asked tentatively.

"We are working on what partly keeps the estate funded, and up and running."

I smiled pleasantly, still not entirely understanding.

"We are making oils," she said, smiling as though it were obvious. "Grab another liter of oil please?" she asked, gesturing toward the sink.

I grabbed a jug and glanced out the window that overlooked the garden.

Jubilee was contentedly tending a flower bed, humming to herself. "Well at least I know she's capable of being something besides a shrew," I thought to myself.

"So you make oils," I prompted, hoping to get more of an answer out of Helena. I'd learned that this was sometimes necessary, as she tended to get caught up in her own mind so much so that she would often forget to finish a thought and move on to a new one before the first was complete.

"Yes," she said, coming out of whatever thought had been occupying her mind. "It's something Adrien started when I joined the household. Before he just served as a vendor for the lavender," she said, taking the jug from me, and climbing on top of the step-stool again.

Upon closer inspection of the copper kettle, it appeared to be made up of two pots, forming a double boiler. A hose wound out the back of one pot and lay in an empty bowl. "What is this?" I asked, getting onto my tip toes, trying to get a better look.

"It's a still," Helena said, as she looked down into the pot.

"Don't those explode?" I asked nervously.

"Well only if you don't know what you're doing, and I have had a bit of practice at this," she said coyly.

"Right," I said, not entirely convinced. "So the lavender," I said, prodding the conversation along.

"The lavender we get from Adrien's estate in the country."

"Wait, so like in the painting in the study?"

"Exactly," she said, setting aside the now empty jug. "Hold the pot steady?" she asked.

I reached between her and the pot awkwardly and held it steady as she placed a funnel into the hose and began to pour water into it.

"Adrien's estate includes this house, two warehouses of antiquities (one human and one vampiric,) one of which (the human one,) functions as an auction house, a cottage that's now an art gallery in Mimizan, and a country home with a lavender farm in Provence. He used to sell the lavender wholesale, but when I arrived a hundred years ago, I saw a way to use some of the skills I'd learned as a human to help support the household and it gave me something productive to do. Since 1915 we've been purveyors of some of the finest essential oils in Western Europe. We've expanded from lavender to include other flowers and herbs as well," she said as she set aside the funnel and pipe. She sounded rehearsed, as though this wasn't the first time she'd given a speech on the business's superiority. "Can you think of anyone better than a vampire to discern the perfect balance of scents?"

"No," I admitted. Even with my own sense of smell, I could detect the depth of the contents of the pot, even if I didn't have the sophistication to understand it entirely.

With a clicking sound, she fired up the burner, and leaning over, took in a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm trying a new base this time, testing it out in a small batch first. We'll need to go get the flowers next though, but this will need to warm for a bit. Do you mind coming down below with me?" she asked, wiping her hands on her apron and leaving a long streak of oil down her front.

I glanced at the square rug that hid the small door from view. "Not at all," I said, feeling uncertain, but curious.

"Excellent!" Helena replied, crossing the room and removing her apron. She slid aside the rug and revealed a small, square metal door.

"Why do you bother to hide it?" I asked.

"It's not necessarily hidden from being found, just from sight. It's an eyesore. It's not like it isn't available to anyone who wishes to make use of it," she said with a shrug.

Stooping, she pulled the door up by a ring, and it swung open on its hinge. It appeared to be several inches thick and likely very heavy. A dark hole was revealed, and from where I stood, it seemed to be many feet deep.

"I'll go first," she said, crouching and climbing in. "Pull the door shut before you, please."

I watched her disappear, and quickly followed, stepping carefully down a few rungs and pulling the door closed, shutting out the light of day.

Looking down, I could see the ladder went for two dozen feet or so. Helena stood, waiting for me at the bottom.

I stared down determinedly at the rungs, trying not to slip. The metal rungs were slick with moisture and grime. It didn't help that they were worn smooth.

I climbed for a few feet, when suddenly, my foot slipped on a rung, and I nearly fell. I quietly cursed, but the sound of it echoed all around me.

"Don't worry, it took me a long time to forget things like gravity don't really matter anymore," Helena called. There was no hint of spite in her voice.

My cheeks ached all the same as I continued to climb down. "Right. I'm not sure I'll ever get over gravity," I said, wrinkling my nose. "Jasper says I'm the only clumsy vampire he's ever known."

"I can't imagine what you must have been like as a human then! Still, I've known a few maladroit vampires in my time. Just remember grace is a skill, something you can learn."

I laughed. "Not me," I said, grinning. I stepped down onto the ground and turned and faced her.

"We'll see," she said mischievously. "I'll have you balancing a book on your head and dancing the waltz with Jasper, while wearing _heels_!"

I laughed hard this time, the sound resounding all around us and tumbling away from where we stood.

I stopped looked around for the first time.

The ceiling above us was arched; a mess of tangled roots and patch-worked stone. The ceiling rounded to the walls, which rounded to the floor, forming a tunnel. Turning my head in either direction, I could see the tunnel went on for a long way before turning and disappearing from sight.

"What is this place?" I asked, more aware of how far my voice carried and echoed.

"It's part of the sewer."

I closed my eyes and took in the sounds that stretched beyond where we were standing.

The city was above, the sounds of thousands of cars, bicycles, and feet traveling overhead. Water moved, above and below—the river, the sewer, and the water table each having its own unique sound. In my mind's eye I traveled down through the twists and turns of the tunnels, finding myself becoming lost in a maze of corridors, chambers, and dead ends. The tunnels went up and down, and so with the change in its proximity to the surface, the sounds of the city became clearer in some areas more than others.

There were voices too. A woman spoke in French—definitely below ground—a group of humans trooped behind her, murmuring to one another.

A quick breath in told me more—of the water, the dirt, the dust and must, the rot of the sewers, the whispers of human scents, and…of flowers. The floral scent was subtle, but present.

"What else is it?" I asked, turning and looking at Helena, who was studying my face.

"It is part of the network of tunnels we use to help us get around the city. Much of it has been built by humans from first their quarries, and then their sewers. Some of it belongs to them, still there are many parts that are entirely our own."

"And it allows you to come and go as you please, taking you to various points in the city," I surmised.

"Correct."

"Vampire mass transit system," I murmured in wonder, my forehead creasing.

Helena laughed. "Oh Bella, you are adorable!" she exclaimed, grinning. "Come on," she said, turning and starting down the tunnel.

I resisted the urge to feel resentful of being labeled 'adorable,' and followed her, both of us walking at a brisk pace.

The floral scent grew stronger as we walked, and after a minute or so, we came upon a round doorway, which appeared to be our destination, as Helena turned and stepped through it. Through this doorway, there was a small room with vaulted ceilings and a large metal door that looked modern and out of place. A sign was posted on it, and though it was in French, I had the idea that it wasn't inviting people to go through the door.

Helena fished out a set of keys and, having selected one, unlocked the door.

The door slid open slowly. Three things happened at once: I blinked as a bright white light poured into the darkness and I saw a narrow room filled with rungs of purple flowers hanging by hooks. These images barely registered before I was nearly overcome by the oppressive fragrance of lavender. The smell was so strong, so concentrated.

I doubled over and coughed several times and took in several breaths, slowly becoming accustomed to the heavy perfume.

"Sorry, it takes some getting used to," Helena said apologetically.

"It's fine," I said, coughing again. "Wow, that's um, potent," I said, leaning against the doorway.

"It is," she said faintly, nodding. She moved amongst the rungs, looking at the paper tags tied to each bunch.

I glanced at the thickly padded door. "Courtesy of the city of Paris?" I asked sarcastically.

Helena chuckled. "This would be one of the places that is entirely our own," she said, selecting a bunch and passing it to me.

After grabbing several more bunches, Helena and I stepped out of the room, the door locking behind us.

"What else is down here?" I asked as we walked back in the direction of the ladder. "I heard voices earlier."

"That would be a tour group for the catacombs," Helena explained.

"Catacombs?" I repeated, bewildered.

"Bella, I'm taking you out for some sightseeing after we're done with these," she said, waving a bunch of lavender at me.

A few minutes later we arrived back at the foot of the ladder. It was then that I noticed the basket, rope and pulley system that ran alongside the ladder.

As if reading my mind, Helena bent down and placed the flowers in the basket, and instructed me to do the same. I watched as she climbed up, towing the rope behind her, the basket ascending next to her.

A thought occurred to me as she climbed up and out of the tunnel. "What happens if a human finds there way here?" I asked, as I began follow up the ladder.

Helena's face appeared above me. "We kill them," she said simply.

I paused momentarily on the run and stared up at her. "Isn't that a little less than subtle?"

"No less subtle than our hunting. We just try to make those particular incidents look like particularly brutal muggings."

"And that's convincing?" I asked, climbing out and stepping into the kitchen. "The police don't catch on?"

"Well it's not like we have crowds of people trying to come up the trapdoor. It's once in the bluest of moons. What would you think if you saw a body with an empty wallet and a blow to the head in some alley in a less than savory part of town?" she asked as she spread the flowers out on the counter.

"I guess you have a point."

She paused over the flowers and turned, smiling expectantly.

Feeling prompted, I came over to her side. "What's next?" I asked politely.

A few hours later, smelling heavily of citrus and lavender, Helena and I were making our way down the ladder again.

My coat nearly tripped me up on the way down. The coat had been one of those items I'd picked up while shopping with Helena. The trip had left a cloud of sadness over me that day. This shopping excursion was different from some of the other, more memorable trips I'd been on, the ones where I was turned into a life-sized Barbie doll for Alice. Helena had hung back, offering her opinion rarely, but otherwise remained absorbed in her sketchbook. Of the three or so times she'd made a comment, she had been the most enthusiastic about this jacket: A calf length, double breasted, navy blue coat with two rows of brass buttons up the front. When she saw me in it she clapped her hands excitedly in a way that was so reminiscent of Alice, I decided to buy it then and there.

Now that I was slipping on the rungs of the ladder, I wondered if it was such a wise purchase after all. Helena hadn't said where we were going, just that I'd need a jacket to blend in.

"I should have just jumped," I said, annoyed with myself as my feet hit the floor.

"Ladies don't do that," Helena replied.

"And if I decide not to act like a lady?" I asked with a smirk.

"Then it's no business of mine, though I do hope you'll refrain from doing it while in a dress," she said, walking in the opposite direction of the storage container where the flowers were kept.

I chuckled, "Obviously."

"Ready?" she asked.

"I'm following you," I replied, holding out my arm and nodding my head.

She took off and I followed closely behind.

The tunnels wound on and on. On either side I caught glimpses of ones that branched off, ladders that went up and down, connecting public works tunnels and sewers. Doors would occasionally pop up along the walls, some more obvious others.

Helena turned this direction and that, and after two minutes of running, she came to a stop across from a narrow tunnel on the right. I stopped next to her and waited while she fished around in her pockets and produced a ring of keys.

"Just this way," she said quietly, turning and walking down the small corridor.

I followed, and a moment later we came to an old, wrought iron door, barring us from going any farther.

Using the keys, Helena unlocked the gate, and it swung open surprisingly smoothly. She wagged her head and I walked through the doorway. The gate clanged shut softly and locked with a click. Helena smiled as she slipped the keys back into her coat.

"Go straight," she instructed.

The tunnel narrowed further, forcing us to walk single file. There were voices somewhere ahead. A turn to the left and then a right later, a light appeared at the end of a long hallway.

The air changed as we walked toward this light. It smelled of humans, dirt, mildew, and dust, but over all of this was a stagnant, foul, odor that grabbed me by the lungs and stopped me where I stood. The air was heavy with the smell of death.

I spun around and stared at her. "Where are we?" I asked in an uncertain voice.

"I told you, the catacombs, l'Ossuaire Municipal," she explained patiently. "Keep going, we have to look like a pair of tourists that got separated from our group," she urged.

I kept walking, keenly aware of the oppressive odor that filled the air.

A moment later we stepped around a corner and into the dim light. All around us were walls made entirely of bones. Ancient skeletal remains, in all their forms, were used to create walls, ceilings, pillars, mosaics, altars, shrines, and sculptures.

"This is…" I stopped walking, turning on the spot and looking up at the domed ceiling where a skull stared down at me from the center.

"Amazing? Breathtaking? Interesting?" supplied Helena.

"Morbid, macabre, and creepy," I replied, looking closely at an ornate fan design that employed skulls and vertebrae to form its pattern. "But all of those other things too," I added.

Helena began to rattle off the history of the catacombs as we walked along, how the bones had been placed here after the cemeteries of Paris had been filled beyond capacity, the millions of people who were now entombed in the old quarries, made hallowed ground. I was only half listening to the history lesson. Somewhere around, "The tunnels were also used during the revolution," we caught up to a tour group, and we began to slowly trail along with them at the back of the crowd. The tour leader was giving a speech in French and gesticulating toward the walls. I had the idea that Helena could probably recite the leader's script by heart and could still have given a better tour than him.

There was a hallway to the left. The arched door, formed by more bones, led off to another passage, one that didn't seem to be on the tour path. I glanced at it, but paid it no mind—until the scent hit me.

I pulled up short and walked into the doorway. I took in a deep breath of air. The scent was coming from somewhere on the right. I stared along the wall, my eyes coming to rest upon a skull along the top of the pile, its scent standing out amongst the others.

"This one is different," I said quietly, pointing. "It's…fresher."

"Yes it is," she said, not looking it, but watching my face carefully.

I slowly turned to her, giving her a questioning look.

There were footsteps behind us, and a man came down the passage way toward us. "Excusez-moi—" he began, his tone authoritative.

Helena cut him off and launched into a stream of French.

The man smiled and ushered us back onto the correct path.

"Let's keep walking," Helena said in our rapid speech.

Walking a brisk, human pace, we caught up with "our tour group," the man who'd approached us following not too far behind us. As I walked on, I became aware of more bones that looked newer; the smell of recent decay lingered on remains whose numbers I couldn't begin to count. After twenty minutes of behind the tour group, we reached the exit and a gift shop.

While the tourists milled around the coffee table books, postcards, and key chains shaped like bones, Helena and I slipped past the man who'd brought up the rear of our group. Helena walked purposefully toward another tunnel, one cordoned off by a chain and a sign, removing the chain and letting me pass before reattaching it. After a few turns we came to another metal gate similar to the first one we'd encountered when entering the catacombs.

Helena unlocked the gate and within a few minutes we were retracing our path from earlier, walking silently side by side through the tunnel.

I shoved my hands into my pockets, debating on whether I should say anything. Each loud, echoing click of Helena's heels made the silence between us more deafening. I sighed, "This is how you've been doing it," I said evenly.

"One of the ways; science caught up with us. We couldn't just keep dumping bodies in the Seine," she said with a shrug.

"Makes sense," I admitted.

Helena's head turned quickly to my face and she regarded me with a penetrating gaze.

"What?" I asked uncertainly, my hands squirming in my pockets.

"Nothing, it's just…" she stopped herself and shook her head.

"It's just?"

"It's just that you surprise me," she said carefully, returning her gaze ahead of us.

My brow creased and I looked over at her. "Thank you?"

"It's not that I meant to upset you, but I was informed…that is to say, I wasn't sure exactly what your reaction would be," she said almost reluctantly.

I sucked on my teeth, my eyes snapping to hers. "Well you shouldn't believe everything you hear," I said darkly.

"It wasn't just her," Helena said.

I assumed 'her' referenced Jubilee. "Oh?" I asked coolly, picking up the pace slightly, wanting this adventure to be over. What exactly had been her point in any of this was beyond me.

"Some of what I thought was based a bit on my own assumptions as well," she admitted.

I waited for an apology, but instead she continued on the previous subject. "We have, of course, other ways of disposing bodies, but our oldest and most used method is the catacombs."

"I'm sure it was easier before the place became a place for sightseers."

"Well it certainly didn't do us any favors. A tomb as a tourist trap! Ha!" she said with a laugh filled with disapproval. "And they say vampires are morbid! Thousands of people trooping amongst the bones and dust of the dead—it's disgusting and completely disrespectful."

"Then why add to more bones to be desecrated if you find the tourists so disrespectful?" I shot at her.

"You'll find as you get older that vampires can be quite intractable," she said wryly. "Once we've found a method that works, we'll be damned if we change our ways. And why should we—just because the city's lost their scruples?"

"Sounds hypocritical to me," I said with a shrug, not feeling the particular need to be polite.

She sighed loudly and dropped her head before looking over at me. "That's fair; harsh, but fair."

"Sorry," I said automatically.

"Don't be."

I shook my head and stopped. Helena turned and faced me.

"Why did you show me this place if you assumed, uh, whatever you assumed about me?"

"I wanted to see how you'd react."

"And what did you think I was going to do?" I demanded, my voice rising.

"I thought you'd be upset."

"So you took me to a place you suspected would upset me…in order to upset me?" I asked glaring.

"Essentially, yes," she answered, not looking a bit ashamed.

"What kind of game are you playing?" I was hurt. I thought Helena liked me. Why would she be so manipulative?

"Bella, you haven't been around vampires like us. You've admitted that. You're staying with us for now, and for what I hope will be a while," she added. "And I wanted you to know who and what we truly are, the reality of us. I figured that if you lost it and left as result of how we deal with the dead, at least it would be an honest gesture, as opposed to leaving on assumptions about what kind of people might be."

"You thought I was going to leave because I would think you're all…" I trailed off, unable to find the right word.

"Monsters," she supplied.

"I wasn't going to use that term," I said darkly.

"No, but I just did. And any way, yes. I thought you might."

"That's Jubilee talking there," I said, glaring down the tunnel. "She doesn't like us."

"She's got issues," Helena conceded, her nose wrinkling. She looked up at me timidly. "You're not going to leave, are you?"

I sighed and looked back at her. "No, but I just—don't—you can't—please," I stammered.

"I won't do anything like that again. I'm sorry," she said, genuinely sounding it.

I nodded, still feeling stung.

"I'll make it up to you," Helena said earnestly.

"Yeah?"

"Yes. I'll get Dick to break out the accordion tonight."

"But Adrien hates it when Dick plays the accordion," I said slowly.

"Exactly," Helena said with a grin.

I chuckled. "You're bad. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do! Come on Bella," she said, linking an arm with mine.

We began to walk briskly down the tunnel. She laughed brightly, bringing her hand to rest on top of the scar on my right hand. "And after that maybe we can—"

My hand involuntarily shrank away from hers.

She looked down at my hand, eyebrows raised. "What's that from?"

"It's from um…" I began, hesitating.

The sounds of breaking glass, my own screams, and the snapping of bone entered my mind. The smell of blood—my blood, and that unmistakable burning inside of me, but still feeling so cold as the chill settled over me; it all came back at once. It was another one of those days that would change everything, all because I stupidly fell for James' trap. I nearly died that day. Edward became even more obsessed with protecting me at all costs.

I swallowed hard as my eyes stung.

I blinked and stared up at Helena. "It's a long story," I said finally.

She had a penetrating gaze fixed on me for a moment, then frowned, cocking her head to the side. "It's from when you were still human."


	7. Chapter 7: Magic

Please be aware that this chapter is not considered safe for work (NSFW.) Thanks for sticking with me!

Chapter Seven

"How could you know that?" I asked as I stood frozen in place.

Helena stared fixedly at me for a moment, before sliding her eyes closed. She frowned slightly, moving her head from side to side, as if she were trying to hear something.

Without opening her eyes, she darted her hand out and grabbed my wrist, pressing her fingers over the scar on my hand again. Her frown deepened and she opened her eyes. "I should know a lot more, but I don't. It's like…like there's a wall between us."

My shoulders relaxed slightly, but my expression remained unreadable.

"Do you have any other scars?" she asked, pushing up my sleeves to examine my arms without waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, this one's from—"

"Hush!" she said furiously, shaking her head as she squeezed my arm tightly and stared intently down where Jasper had bitten me on a rooftop in Texas.

I sighed and waited until she let go of me.

She gave me a slightly accusing look. "You're gifted."

"So are you," I said a little indignantly.

She snorted, no longer looking at me.

I gazed steadily at her before shrugging and giving a relenting sigh. "I have a very private mind, or so I've been told."

"You've met others who can know the mind?" she asked, her interest piqued.

"Yes, but you seem to be a little more successful than they were." It was my turn to stare expectantly as I waited for an explanation.

"That's because memories don't just live in the mind, they aren't just made up of signals and connections in your brain. The memories live in our very skin. What we feel, smell, hear, taste—they're all a part of our memories," she said matter-of-factly. "But I wasn't exactly successful," she said, frowning.

"So you can read—" I began.

"I can see the memories when a person is reminded of them, whether it's through them thinking of it or if it's brought on by the senses being stimulated."

"When you touched my scar, you saw…" I trailed off. I wasn't making a lot full sentences at the moment.

"I couldn't see anything, but I could tell this came from teeth—" She caught my, 'Well obviously' look. "Not just by looking at them. Although if I were to just go with what I see, it'd be easy to tell that it was a vampire who bit you. Otherwise it would have disappeared when you came over. But I could feel it, whoever it was, biting you. I could feel the pain, the fear, and the fire, but that's it. And this one," she said, pointing to my arm and giving it a nasty look, as if it had done her some great wrong, "This one I can't get anything from." She let go of my arm and we continued to walk. We were nearly back to the ladder that led to the house.

I snorted and pulled my sleeve down.

"It's not funny—I'm not used to being blocked. It throws me out of step."

"You telepaths don't do well with not getting your way," I said dryly. "On behalf of my apparently stubborn mind, I do apologize profusely."

"God damn shields," she pouted.

I stopped walking. "_What_?" I asked, my voice going up an octave.

"It's what you _all_ do: make my life a little more difficult than it needs to be."

"Yeah, but—but you called me a, I mean, you—" I stammered.

"A shield, at least I'm assuming. There are only a few other gifts that can block me, but the others are pretty uncommon," she said with a shrug.

"Oh," I said, feeling a little surprised, even a little giddy.

After all these years, I finally had a name to give to my mind that had left Edward and Aro so intrigued, so aggravated, and completely in the dark.

My thoughts drifted to the circular chambers of the Volturi.

"Edward, Bella, you've returned to us!" Aro crooned, rising from his throne-like chair and coming down to the last step of the dais so that he still looked down on us.

"As we promised," Edward said stiffly, his grip growing increasingly tighter over my hand.

"Bella, you are indeed radiant," Aro said, clapping his hands together. "Oh! Won't you please turn, so we all might get a better look at you?"

I forced a smile and let go of Edward's hand, stepping forward and turning slowly on the spot.

"Beautiful, beautiful—vampirism suits you, my dear! And you've worn the necklace we sent to you," he said, giving a charming smile.

"Thank you for the gift," I said, raising a hand and pressing the large diamond pendant to my throat, my other hand reaching back and meeting Edward's waiting grasp.

He glanced back up and met my eyes for a moment, before turning and beginning to make short, deliberate strides back and forth. "We were so pleased to receive your wedding invitation, but of course we were not able to make the trip. We deeply regretted missing the occasion. Weddings are always lovely, but I expect yours was exceptionally so."

"It was everything we could have wanted," Edward said in a guarded, even voice.

"I am sure," Aro said, coming to a halt, his gaze falling to Edward's left hand.

The hand I held twitched as Edward obeyed the silent command, extending his free hand and placing it in Aro's open, waiting palm.

Aro bent his head forward, his hand clasping my husband's in a silent, communing of the minds.

"Yes, yes, it _was_ perfect. So much love, everyone there to share with you and Bella." Aro's eyes darted back and forth under his lids. He turned his head slightly. "Bella made for an exquisite bride," he called over his shoulder.

Caius looked affronted that Aro would bother to convey such useless information. Marcus appeared to be in much the same state of mind as he did on the last occasion we met: Bored, wishing to be anywhere else besides the Volturi's chambers.

Aro's head shook back and forth slightly as though he were scrolling down a piece of paper that contained Edward's thoughts and recollections. It was a few minutes before he released Edward's hand.

"The Change was most challenging—but it was ingenious to employ one the humans' narcotics." He opened his eyes and gazed at me. "How did it affect you?"

I squirmed internally, but kept my face smooth. I would have to repeat the lie I had been telling everyone since I woke up. "I fell asleep a human and awoke a vampire," I said, attempting to avoid lying outright.

"And you experienced no pain, no fire?" he pressed, fascinated.

Even Caius had sat up a little in his seat and was regarding me with interest.

"A little, but no worse than I'd felt before," I lied, giving my best shy, coquette-ish smile.

In truth, the pain had been unimaginable, but the morphine had left me paralyzed, relieving me only of the sole outlet I had at my disposal to exert the pain—thrashing about and screaming. Instead, I suffered in stillness and silence. It had been nearly unbearable, and when I came to the fork in my mind where I could either let go and give over to the bliss of complete insanity, or stay the course and find my way back to the world of lucidity, it had only been the knowledge that Edward waited for me that kept me going.

Aro laughed at this; it was a cold, high pitched cackle. "Alec, even you have not been able to do that! Perhaps humans have rendered your gift obsolete!"

Everyone, including Alec, joined Aro in laughing, though for Alec, it was only a half-hearted laugh.

"Well Bella, to be sure, you are exceptional, but…" he stared down at Edward. "But still you can read nothing," Aro said quietly to him. "Your gift is indeed useless against the one whom you'd most like to use it on, isn't it Edward?"

Edward ducked his head once in acknowledgement.

Aro stared intently for a moment before his expression changed to one of amusement—an expression that did not reach his eyes, which were hungry. "Tell me of the thoughts of someone in this room," Aro said in a hushed voice, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Edward looked over Aro's shoulder at Marcus and back at Aro.

Aro nodded with a smirk and held out his hand again, Edward taking it obediently. Aro erupted into laughter. "Oh Marcus, you always think things are a waste of time!" he said, giving me a roll of the eyes as if to say, 'That old fuddy-duddy!' "Caius, you just wait," he added in a darker voice.

"I don't particularly care to," Caius replied irritably.

Edward shifted uneasily and Aro released his hand with a small nod of thanks. "Oh Edward, think of the possibilities!" he said imploringly.

"You know how I feel," Edward replied, casting his eyes down.

"Yes, Alice feels the same as well. It is a pity and a mutual loss," he said wistfully.

Aro turned to me now. "Now my dear, if you would be so kind as to indulge an old man," he asked sweetly, as if he was anything like a kindly septuagenarian.

"Of course Aro," I said with forced agreeableness, extending my hand and allowing him to take it into both of his.

He took in a deep breath in expectation, then, as his smile faded slightly, he sighed. "You continue to confound us all, my sweet Bella."

"All?" I asked out of turn, confused.

"Jane's been trying to put you through her worst since you came through the door," Edward said in an icy tone.

My eyes met Jane's furious gaze. Her brow was furrowed as she exerted her best efforts. I raised a single eyebrow in response and watched as a fresh wave of rage broke over her.

I wasn't afraid of her though. I was no longer a fragile human. I would have welcomed a chance repay her for what she did to Edward the last time we were in Volterra.

"I can certainly turn my attention to you, Edward. I believe you're familiar with the sensation?" she said in a venomous voice, snapping her head in Edward's direction, her pigtails swinging lightly.

"No!" I shouted, and without thinking, attempting to remove my hand from Aro's grip.

He held fast to me, and without looking at her, he called warningly, "Jane."

"Yes, Master," she conceded in an injured voice.

He chuckled and shook his head with a look that clearly read, 'Those kids!' "There is no need to be alarmed, sweet Bella," he murmured, stroking my hand in an attempt to soothe me. He let out a slow breath and stared intently into my eyes. "Indeed, you are as I said you would be—an intriguing vampire."

"Thank you," I said, my insides still quaking from the brief confrontation. I wanted this interview to be over.

"How do you feel? How do the habits of the Cullens suit you?" he asked without taking his eyes off of me.

"Very well," I said, unable to look away.

"And you don't thirst for the real blood, the blood of humans?"

"No. As a newly born vampire I faced challenges, but I have become stronger," I said, entranced.

"Clearly; to have made the trip as one so young…" He trailed off, his eyes searching my face again. "It is remarkable."

"We're all impressed with her progress," Edward said, stepping closer to me and placing a hand on my lower back.

Aro's fingers ran across the stones of my engagement ring and came to rest on the top of my hand. "Well I certainly hope this won't be the last trip you make to come see us. We are all very interested to see how you develop." He lifted my hand to his lips and brushed a kiss against my knuckles. "And as always, we are interested in seeing how the rest of your family is doing," he said, releasing my hand and gazing at Edward. "Do tell your coven they were missed on this visit, especially dear Alice."

"I will pass along your regards, sir," Edward said courteously.

"Farewell for now, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. Perhaps we shall each other sooner than one would expect," Aro called, turning and ascending up the stairs of the dais.

Edward and I bowed, turned, and left the room.

Once we were outside on the streets of Volterra, we finally felt safe enough to speak. The sun had set and the streetlights were beginning to pop on, one by one.

"That took a lot longer than I thought it would," I said nervously, as we walked quickly through the piazza.

"That's because he is fascinated by you," he said angrily with a shake of his head.

"And by you," I said pointedly.

"He is; and by Alice as well," he said in a troubled voice.

"Why not Jasper?" I asked, thinking of my gifted brother-in-law.

"Because Aro sees no value in influencing emotions; he already has others with similar, and by his stock, superior talents."

I considered this for a moment as we reached an empty, narrow alley. We would be running from here to where we had parked on the outskirts of the village. I paused and looked over my shoulder cautiously. "Didn't like that goodbye very much."

Edward sighed and pulled me closer. "Me either," he admitted.

We took a deep breath, and with our backs to the Volturi's palace, we were racing down the cobbled lane.

"…And it's not all the memories in someone's head, just the strongest memory someone is recalling and projecting at the moment…sort of," Helena said in her rapid speech, looking over her shoulder, her smile faltering. "Did I lose you, Bella?"

"No," I said, shaking my head and rearranging my face into an expression of interest. "So you don't see everything?"

"No, a lot of things have to be right. It's like tuning into a radio station—the signal has to be there, it has to be strong enough, and I have to be, well, on; my mind has to be open to receiving it." she said awkwardly. She glanced over at me. "You have no idea how hard this was to explain before there were radios."

"I'm sure," I said with my best attempt at a sympathetic smile. "How long did it take you to learn how to control it?"

"A while," she admitted. "For a long time I saw everyone's memories. I couldn't walk down the street without being bombarded with them. It was damn near crippling, though it did make hunting an exercise of vigilantism," she said, smiling menacingly to herself.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Well when you know someone's remembering the time they beat their child into a bloody pulp, robbed an old lady, stole the company's payroll for hookers, raped a girl, murdered their husband, or poisoned the neighbor's livestock, it makes you feel pretty self-righteous when you suck the life from them."

"There's street justice," I said, laughing darkly. It was a familiar story. Resisting the urge to disappear into another memory, I recalled a conversation I'd had with Edward, in which he too told me of his best attempts at being The Good Guy. My hand slid up to my chest and pressed against the ring that hung around my neck, under my shirt.

"When I wasn't wreaking carnage on the scum of society, I was putting my skills to use." She wagged her head, "I became a street artist," she explained. "That was actually how Adrien found me. It changed everything."

"And you fell in love with him," I prompted, nudging her.

"I did," she said, brushing her cheek embarrassedly. "It was the last thing I expected to happen, but then again these things always are," she chuckled. "It was in the spring," she said, her eyes drifting off to the walls of the tunnel, as though she could see through them. "I was in Nice, spending my evenings making money off the wealthy tourists who came down on holiday by doing the most miraculous drawings for them." Her eyes darted over to me and she grinned. "The humans were in awe of my uncanny ability to so accurately interpret memories they described. Most humans are easily read, so it was easy to produce their sweetest recollections on a piece of paper," she said quickly. "It was just after sunset and I had the usual crowd around me, each begging to be next. I was putting the finishing touches on a lady's memory of her mother in her Sunday dress when I felt him. I felt Adrien long before I saw him. A moment later he leaned next to my ear and murmured, 'I'm next.' When I looked up, I saw him grinning at me, and I was gone, completely swept off my feet." She looked over at me, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled softly. "The day he found me was the day this existence made sense. My world changed infinitely for the better. No more lack of purpose, wandering aimlessly, without love or contentment. He completed me." She sighed and cast her eyes downward.

I chuckled once as I stared at my feet as we walked.

We rounded the corner and the ladder came in sight.

"Was it like that for you, everything falling into place?" she asked kindly.

I closed my eyes briefly and felt my insides go a little colder. There was that internal pull, the pull of a memory of golden eyes, bronze hair, and a crooked smile, but with a deep breath I met Helena's gaze and nodded. "Yes, it was."

Maybe she'd seen something in my face, or maybe that moment on the stairs when we first arrived could finally be explained, but there was a look—perhaps pity?—in her eyes that showed she knew I wasn't talking about Jasper.

She nodded, acknowledging this silent exchange. "Jasper _is_ a wonderful man. Have you been together long?" she asked, changing her tone entirely to one of nonchalance.

"He's great. We haven't been together for very long at all. But he saves me," I said, smiling wryly, "Every day." I placed my foot on the bottom rung and began to climb. "He's my best friend and one of the most decent men I've ever known. I'm so lucky to have him in my life. I don't know what I'd do without him."

The thought of Jasper immediately warmed away the icy chill that had clamped over my chest.

As if I had called him, the trap door overhead opened, and a familiar face appeared, grinning down at me.

"Should my ears be burning? Because they feel like they're burning," Jasper said, offering me a hand as I climbed up the ladder and into the kitchen.

"Probably," I chuckled. I stood back and waited for Helena.

She took his hand gratefully and smiled. "Definitely," she added.

"Did you ladies have fun in the sewer?" he asked, glancing down the opened trap door before letting it clang shut.

"Yep, just a barrel of laughs," I said raising an eyebrow at Helena.

"Oh, she's just had a lot to take in," Helena said, rolling her eyes, but giving the quickest nervous smile. "You know Jasper, I think what Bella really needs is a night out," she offered pointedly.

"You know Helena, I was _just_ thinking that!" he said in mock astonishment.

I gave him a suspicious look.

"Well fancy that!" she said, raising her eyebrows in shock. "Your dress is upstairs," Helena prompted without looking in my direction as she crossed through the kitchen.

I snorted and rolled my eyes before obediently trooping out of the kitchen and up to the bedroom Jasper and I shared.

A short, silver dress was hanging on the wardrobe door.

I tugged off my clothes and slid on the dress. I noticed the shoes, navy blue heels, next to the bed and put those on as well. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the tall mirror across the room and hurriedly combed through my hair with my fingers before standing back and taking it all in. The dress was silver, falling just to my knees, the hem sparkling with silver sequins.

Admittedly, I didn't look bad.

As I walked down the steps, Jasper came into view and I pulled up short. He was in a navy blue suit with a sky blue tie. His hair was brushed out of his face and he was giving me a smoldering look. He looked great. I stared down at him from a few steps up, unable to take my eyes off of him. "Wow. Wow, he looks…he looks great—really great," I thought. My thoughts were suddenly stutter-y and difficult to form.

Jasper was gentleman enough not to say anything, though I knew, damn him, he could sense what I was feeling. He merely offered me his hand, which I accepted, as I descended the remaining steps.

"You look beautiful," Helena said from the corner.

My eyes snapped up to where she stood. I hadn't even noticed her. I didn't disguise this very well either because she grinned at me with a knowing look.

"Thank you for the dress Helena," I said, trying to shake away the fog that had settled over my brain. "And for the shoes as well!" I added.

"Oh, I didn't have anything to do with those," she said smugly, walking out of the room with a bit of a swagger. "Have a fun time you two," she called over her shoulder.

I looked quizzically at Jasper, who lifted my hand and brushed my knuckles with his lips.

"Alice wasn't the only one in the family who knew how to put an outfit together," he said against my hand before kissing it again.

"You?" I said in a soft voice.

"Me," he replied. His eyes traveled down my body and back up to my face. "You look pretty good," he teased.

"All thanks to you," I said, nudging him with my shoulder.

"Not even close," he said, rolling his eyes.

My cheeks ached in the absence of blushing as I was led out into the dawning evening.

I didn't bother asking where we were going, instead allowing Jasper take the lead as we sped down the streets of Paris.

"Did I ever tell you I wanted to be a magician when I was a kid?" he asked as we weaved through a crowded thoroughfare.

"A what?" I asked in surprise, looking away from the ornate tops of the buildings we were passing.

"A magician," he repeated, grinning.

"Really?" I asked, still trying to figure out if there was a punch line I was missing.

"Yep. When Maury the Magnificent rolled through the next town over, my parents, aunt, and uncle packed up all the kids and took us to see him perform. It was money they didn't need to spend, but they did—they did things like that for us every now and then. I remember when Maury came out and he made fire appear and change colors with a wave of his cane. He made watches vanish, only to be found in the pocket of an audience member. He did card tricks, repaired people and things he cut in half, even some "mind reading,"" he said, using his fingers to form air quotes around "mind reading."

"Ooooh," I giggled and rolled my eyes.

"I was 9. I knew magic couldn't be real, but my little sisters and cousins thought Maury was the genuine article." His eyes drifted off for a moment, and I could see the smallest look of sadness creep into his eyes. He met my gaze again. "They thought Maury was the neatest man. He made them believe in magic, and that made them so happy. I wanted to do the same thing. So I spent a year trying to mimic what I had seen. I wasn't very good," he admitted, grimacing. "I never did master making things broken in half, whole again. And the one time I tried to cut Marty in half, Aunt Meredith caught me just as I was coming at him with a saw, and wow, she tanned my backside such a shade of red."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"I did get pretty good at card tricks and making scarves appear and disappear. Oh, and this," he said, easing me to a stop and reaching up to my ear, withdrawing something sparkly from it.

"How did you—" I started.

"Magic," he said with a smirk. With a quick motion, he clicked a bracelet around my wrist.

I held it up and examined the silver charm bracelet that now hung from my wrist. There were two charms dangling from it: A star and a miniature Eiffel Tower.

Jasper scuffed the ground with his boot and looked away. I could feel the waves of nervousness coming off of him. "I know you already had the one Jacob and Edward—" he broke off and frowned. "I just thought—I mean if you don't want—"

In one fluid movement I grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, pulling his face to mine, and pressed my lips to his.

Relaxing instantly into me, he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me deeply. I could feel the contentment between us, even as I pulled away. "I love it," I said, looking down at my wrist. I met his eyes, which creased as he gave me a pleased smile. "Thank you," I murmured.

"The Eiffel Tower is for uh, well, this," he said, gesturing around us. "And the star is for Texas. I figured you needed something other than a scar to show for the start of this adventure," he said, his hand drifting up my forearm and caressing the spot where he'd bitten me on that rooftop so far away.

Scars. My eyes drifted away from his gaze at that word.

He caught it and squinted at me. "What?" he asked, bringing his hand down, as though he'd done something wrong.

"No, it's not you. It's something that happened today. It's nothing really. Well, no, it's something, but it's nothing related, and definitely not something that needs to be discussed right now," I rambled. "Can I tell you later?" I asked.

Things were so nice without complicating it with talk of empowered vampires.

"Sure," he said, reading the plea.

"I really do like my bracelet," I said, squeezing his hand and bringing him back to this evening. "And the dress too," I added.

"I wanted to treat you to a special evening. I've been wanting to, actually, but I didn't quite have a handle on what we could do until I got some guidance from Helena."

"That's why she was so smug," I said, nodding.

"She was a big help," he said grinning. "Any way, I thought we could fill up your bracelet with charms from wherever this road takes us," he said, beginning to lead me down the sidewalk again, although slower this time.

I smiled up at him as he guided me around a corner.

Bright lights dazzled my eyes—red, gold, and purple lights flashed above us on the marquee of a theater just ahead.

"So I was talking about magic," he continued, now digging through his jacket pockets and producing a pair of tickets. "How about a magic show?" he suggested, giving me a lopsided smile.

I laughed. "Sounds perfect!"

His smile grew bigger as we headed into the theater.

Two hours later we emerged from the magic show, the crowd abuzz, happily murmuring to one another, I'm guessing, about the show.

"I really need to learn French," I thought to myself.

Jasper looked around, a small frown playing across his forehead. "I really need to learn French," he said, shaking his head.

I laughed hard and grinned. "I was just thinking that."

He laughed too and smirked as he stared down into my eyes.

"So when's the part _you_ try to cut me in half?" I teased, breaking out of hold he had put me under again.

He grinned. "Oh that's the finale! I figured first I'd start by making doves fly out of that woman's handbag," he said, pointing at a large lady with an enormous purse. "Then I'll make that car disappear," he said, pointing to a cab standing at the curb. "Then I'd get around to dividing you in two with a big sheet of metal," he said, turning back to me.

The cab acquired passengers and pulled away from the curb.

Jasper threw his hands into the air. "Magic!" he shouted dramatically, making those around us jump.

"No doves," I said, pretending to be nonplussed.

"They were magic doves—magically invisible!" he said, raising his voice again.

"Oh-ho," I said doubtfully.

"Listen Cullen, I can still divide you in two," he said menacingly.

"Well you'll have to catch me first!" I taunted, wrenching my hand from his and dashing away.

I laid on the speed, tearing down streets and alleys, crossing bridges in three or four strides, dodging buses and cars, even scaling the fence of a church.

I knew Jasper wasn't too far behind me. We were pretty evenly matched at this point for speed, but the advantage was entirely mine with that head start.

I closed my eyes for a moment; I could sense him close by; feel his pull; feel the waves of a hunter tracking his prey. I broke through a small cluster of trees, into the wide lawn of a park. A thick line of hedges lay on the left; uphill were groves of small, flowering bushes. I dropped a stride, letting myself slow ever so slightly, but it was enough.

There was a rushing behind me, and I was lifted off my feet, my arms pinned to my sides.

I squealed as Jasper turned me around in his arms, his eyes wild and yearning.

"Why did you let me catch you?" he asked hoarsely.

"Because I wanted to be caught," I purred with unexpected intensity.

He grinned wickedly and crashed his lips against mine.

My fingers raked through his hair as I allowed him to deepen the kiss. His arms were around my lower back, cupping my bottom as he hoisted me higher onto his waist. He began carrying me toward the minor seclusion the hedges offered.

I pulled away and let my lips rove up to his ear and down his neck, trailing my tongue down his throat.

He moaned, tremors going through his body. "You…you really shouldn't do that unless you want to—"

"Oh, I want to," I growled against his jaw and tightening my legs around him.

"Wait!" he said, sounding suddenly more clear, "Wait, ar-are you saying you want to—"

I cut him off as bit his neck firmly—not enough to cause pain, but enough to elicit a hiss and a loud groan.

I brought my mouth back up to his as we continued to let our hands search urgently across each other's bodies.

I felt him reach down and fumble around his own waist. A moment later I felt his hands move up my dress.

I lifted up slightly and loosened the hold my legs had around him as I tried to help.

The seconds ticked by as he struggled, until he sighed and looked at me slightly exasperated. He held my gaze intensely for a moment. "Fuck it," he grunted, and ripped the delicate fabric that had been my panties.

I growled and felt his hands encircle my waist again and guide me down.

The inevitable millisecond of hesitation lasted only just that before our lips met again.

It was not possible, in this moment, to kiss Jasper enough, to feel Jasper enough.

As he eased me down onto him we both moaned into each other's mouths. I leaned back and let him support my weight, my hips meeting his with an unquenchable need. I needed him more than I needed anything else in this world at this moment.

And he knew it.

He held me tight to him and moved me up and down, faster and faster.

My fingers knotted in the hair at the nape of his neck and I pressed my forehead against his, our breathing coming out as deep, guttural gasps. I kept covering his face in kisses, murmuring pleas to him that even I couldn't completely understand.

His brow was creased with concentration, a hint of a grimace playing in his eyes.

I have no idea how long we carried on like that, for all I know it could have been minutes or it could have been hours, but I had become lost in the movement and the moment. I had completely given over to the sensation of our bodies clapping together.

He slowed and slipped a hand between us, his fingers sliding over the most sensitive spot on my body.

The movements of his fingers were so quick I was soon arching my back against his other arm that still supported me. Within minutes I was gasping for air I didn't need—and yet I did. My heart was going to explode-I was going to explode if I didn't get air! Just as my body seemed to be on the point of destruction, there was a weight lifted off of my body, and I had all the air I needed; I was flying.

Jasper groaned loudly as I nearly went limp in his arms. He resumed the motion of his hips, this time all the more urgently. His eyes rolled back as I, with my last ounce of strength, squeezed around him over and over. Minutes later there was a moan and a shudder, and Jasper was flying too.

I wasn't prepared for the waves of his pleasure that crashed over me. With each breath I took, another tremor passed over me. Each time I managed to regain eye contact with him, Jasper's eyes would roll back in the feedback that was his completion, as projected through me.

It lessened gradually, and soon we were holding each other, my legs still entwined around him. We were both taking in slow, steady breaths.

My eyes were shut as I tried to recover my ability to think straight. I felt him kiss my jaw just below my ear. It was like a good morning kiss after many hours of sleep; slowly the world came back into focus, and I was aware we were, well, Jasper was, standing in a park in Paris. I leaned back and stared into his face.

He was regarding me with a careful look as well, the ferocity of the moment having waned away and replaced with calm. He was waiting.

I chuckled and gave him a shy smile.

A grin bloomed across his face as he pulled me to him and kissed me.


	8. Chapter 8: Wielder

Chapter Eight

The walk back was slow. We took our time wandering the streets in the general direction of the House. The evening was wearing on; bells tolled three as we walked past a church.

I told Jasper about the impromptu conversation with Emmett. He looked a little nervous, as though perhaps I might be getting homesick. With a brief, soft kiss I assured him that as much I missed our family, it wasn't enough to make me want to go back to Forks.

I knew he missed them too, but I also knew that he wasn't ready to look them in the face.

"So you know about the tunnels now," said Jasper. It wasn't a question.

"Yes. You did already," I said, also not a question.

"Yeah," he said nodding. "Adrien requested either he or Helena be permitted to tell you."

"Oh she told me." I said with an edge in my voice. "And showed me," I added. "Did you know about the catacombs?"

"The catacombs," Jasper repeated without recognition.

"It's where they store the skeletal remains of their prey," I said, feeling a little nauseated. I proceeded to relay how Helena's provocative approach to showing me the "true nature" of vampires.

"Huh," he said, raising his eyebrows. He squinted and looked down. He almost looked impressed.

"What?" I asked, turning to face him.

He looked up and met my eyes. "It's just that it's a pretty ingenious way to conceal centuries of killings."

"Why the tone?" I asked.

"That took a lot of planning and effort," he said with a shrug.

I tried to ignore the note of admiration in his voice, but as I glanced back up at him I tripped over the uneven ground on the brick walkway.

Jasper caught me and smiled down at me.

"Thanks," I murmured. After a few minutes of silence I sighed resolutely. "What do others usually do with," there was an internal squirm, "the bodies?" I finished, setting my jaw.

Jasper ran a thumb over my fingers. "You don't have to do this."

I could feel him staring at me. "Do what?" I asked, refusing his gaze.

He turned my face toward him. "Act like you're okay with this," he said, staring into my eyes.

I blinked before turning away from him and stared down contemplatively. "Jasper, if I'm going to fit in with other vampires, I'm going to have to face this. I don't want to keep feeling like I'm a child." I looked up into his face again. "It doesn't change who I am and how I'm going to live, but I don't want to keep getting caught off guard by the realities of being a vampire."

He gave me a sympathetic look. "I understand. I'll to help you however I can." He sighed, turned, and began to swing our clasped hands back and forth. "More often than not, vampires will make a body look like it's been a victim of a crime or an accident. If they can though, the preference is to transfer them to a location humans just don't go. Vampires develop habits, patterns of behavior, and if a coven sticks around in one place for a long time, chances are they've got a rotating set of dump sites. This one though, the catacombs, this is completely different from the norm," he said, shaking his head.

"Why?"

"Because it's so in-your-face—any vampire who finds it will know what it really is. It's more than a clever way to disguise their presence amongst humans. It's a marker, a declaration that they are a very old coven and this is their territory."

"Why does that matter?" I asked.

"Old covens come with pros and cons," he said with a chuckle.

"Pro?"

He pursed his lips in thought. "Knowledge and availability of resources."

"Con?"

"Baggage," he said with a derisive laugh.

I laughed. "Sounds like any other family."

"Now you're getting it," he said.

I looked up and saw him give me an amused smile. He held my gaze for a moment before his expression turned serious. "Bella, just do me a favor? Never forget that the older you get, the more self-serving you can become."

"That statement's a little of left field," I said, my forehead creasing.

"Not really. I think you sometimes forget there's at least one vampire in that house right now who's over 500 years old," he said, all hints of a smile or good humor gone.

"Who?" I asked as my brow creased.

"Adrien," Jasper said, turning his eyes on me. "Don't think this whole _archiving _thing is just for the benefit of future generations of vampires. The long standing residence? The collections? The books? The catacombs? They all point to one thing: Ego. They're all trappings to influence how the world perceives him. It's so old world, it reminds me of the God damn Catholic hierarchy back in the seventeenth century."

"You weren't alive back then," I teased. "Unless you've lied about your age?" I suggested, attempting to get under his skin.

"I can still read history books," he said rolling his eyes. "Adrien is a vampire who wants to display his wealth," he said. A bus rumbled past us as we paused in the road. "And that's wealth that surpasses mere coinage," he added. "Remember what I said? Knowledge and resources."

We crossed the street and onto a bridge. We were nearing the Latin Quarter. "If he's so dangerous, why haven't they come and taken care of him yet then?" I asked in a hushed voice.

Jasper frowned in thought. "Adrien doesn't have the numbers, nor does he have ambition for power. Besides, he's not _that_ kind of dangerous. He's just a dedicated hedonist, nothing more. Someone that self-motivated can be just as dangerous to you as the Volturi."

"So he likes his pleasure," I said, still not sure why I should be wary of Adrien.

"Bella, I just don't want you to become part of his wealth."

"The knowledge, the resources," I repeated.

"Essentially."

"Okay," I said, hugging his arm to me. "I'll be careful."

He slipped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer as we picked up the pace slightly and wound our way through the cobbled streets of the House's neighborhood.

"So that's what you've been thinking about all those times I caught you looking so serious," I teased.

"I think about a lot of things," he said, grinning down at me. "I'm a very deep guy, you know." He bent forward and pretended to prop his head on his hand.

"Jasper Whitlock Hale, as the Thinking Man," I said in a snooty voice.

He straightened. "I'm going to be thinking about tonight a lot," he said into my hair as he leaned down and kissed my temple.

A chuckle escaped my lips as I looked down in embarrassment.

Jasper pulled me to a stop at the opening to our alley and took both of my hands in his. "Tonight was one of the best nights I've ever had Bella," he said earnestly.

I stared up in his face and without pausing to consider my words, I smiled softly. "Me too." What was there to think about? I knew it was true.

He leaned in closer to me. "I love you," he whispered, his lips inches from mine.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

Our lips touched softly, then deeply. He slid a hand down and cupped my jaw as his lips moved against mine.

Then there was the laughter.

"Get a room!" chided Ciarán as he and Dick strolled up the walk.

We pulled away, both of us grinning.

"I thought PDA was standard protocol in Paris," Jasper said sarcastically, sliding his arms down and taking my hand in his.

Dick grinned. "You'd think that, wouldn't you? The way people carry on; you'd think this whole city was doused in a love potion."

"That's only because you're a tourist," Ciarán said knowingly. "Eventually all the ambience, the lights, the sounds, it all becomes grime and noise, just like any other city."

"Someone's lived here a while," Jasper snorted.

We all began to walk down the alley way toward the House.

"Yeah, how long have you been here?" I asked, looking over at Ciarán.

"Oh 45 years or so give or take. I come and go, sometimes for a few months, but I end up back here eventually. Adrien's my best mate, so I like to hang about."

"But you're not part of his coven?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

Ciarán gave a little laugh and then a kind smile. "A coven is more than who you spend your time with, who your friends are. It's a bond stronger than family. Not everyone makes those bonds easily."

"Oh," I said, adding the tidbit to the growing list of new information I had on vampires.

"Yeah, covens require mutual commitment," Dick added. "It takes the right fit. Everyone's gotta be right for each other or it doesn't work. For example, would you want to spend potentially eternity with me?"

I smiled shyly and cast my eyes down.

"There's no shame in admitting it darlin'—you'd probably say the same for everyone at the house except for Jasper. Right?"

I looked up and nodded.

"See, that's what you're committing to. It's like mating," he said with uncharacteristic wisdom.

"Only worse," Ciarán added.

Jasper barked out laughter and squeezed me closer to him as we joined him in laughing.

We entered the dimly lit courtyard. The House was filled with the sounds of life—Winston and Ximena were upstairs, chattering happily away in Spanish. Jubilee, Reg, and Helena were somewhere on the first floor.

As we walked into the foyer Helena's voice rang out, "We're back here!" she called from the parlor.

"I'll be back," Dick said, dashing upstairs.

We walked through the house and stepped into the fire lit room.

There was a loud crow of laughter. "There's the little Shield now!" Reg said, pointing from the couch and grinning at me. "You are my new favorite person," he said. "I finally have someone who can match me in irritating the piss out of Helena!"

"Wait, what?" Jasper asked, turning me to face him.

"Oh. Right, um…" I pressed my lips together.

"That conversation we were going to have later," he said, the pieces falling into place.

"Yeah," I said, grimacing. I probably should have told him before coming home. I had just sort of forgotten.

Ciarán glided past me and sat down on the couch sitting opposite from Helena and Reg.

"Well today, while were down below, we were talking and Helena realized through her, her gift—well, I mean, she's able to…" I glanced over at Helena, inviting her assistance.

"I'm an empath with particular strength when coupled with tactile methods of retrieval," Helena said in a lofty voice from her place on the couch next to Reg.

"Oh," Jasper said, attempting to look impressed as he slid off his jacket and walking over to the rocking chair beside the fireplace.

"Apparently if you're thinking about something intensely or if she touches a scar she can see a memory." I looked at Helena again to see if I was correct in my summation.

"In most cases a series of images or even a scene of a memory. In Bella's, the vaguest of ideas," she slumped into the couch as she began to sketch away on the pad of paper in her lap.

"Because I'm a—a Shield," I finished lamely.

"Which probably explains why no one could ever read you before," finished Jasper. He raised his eyebrows. "I've never heard of a Shield before, but it kind of fits, doesn't it?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted.

Reg jumped up and bounded over to me. "Bella, Bella, since you're a Shield does that mean you can block other things?"

"I don't know I—"

Reg reared fist and swung a right hook toward my face.

I caught his hand and twisted his arm behind his back and held him in an arm lock.

He hissed painfully and chuckled. "Guess not," he winced.

Everyone laughed as I let go and he resumed his spot on the couch.

"Okay, right, so Bella is a Shield. What exactly does the entail?" Jasper asked.

"They block Helena's beastly invasion of privacy ray of doom!" Reg said in a sinister voice, raising an eyebrow at Helena.

"I would assume it's a run of the mill unknowable mind," Helena said. She sighed deeply.

"It just bothers the hell out of you that you can't see into her every private moment and memory, doesn't it," Reg said a little incredulously.

"I'm not used to it Reg, it's like there's a blind spot."

"Well welcome to the world the rest of us know!" he retorted exasperatedly.

"A Shield, huh? Bad ass," Dick mused as he strolled into the room with his guitar in tow. He took a seat on the floor next to Jubilee, who was quietly absorbed in a mystery novel.

"So you tried to read Bella and it you didn't get anything?" Jasper asked.

"As I said the vaguest of ideas," Helena said with a shrug.

"And just the one," I added, turning my hand from side to side to indicate to Jasper which scar.

"That must be a pretty strong memory for you. Still out of all of yours, that's an odd one to get something off of," Jasper said, raising an eyebrow and staring at my hand.

"Tell me about it," I said, shaking my head.

"Yes, do," Helena commanded, suddenly interested.

"Uh," I murmured, hastily covering my scarred hand with the other.

"Come on, we always share," Reg said, putting his hands behind his head.

"Some more than others," Ciarán said as he stared across at Reg.

"I can't help it if I'm a good projector," Reg said innocently.

"Shouter is more like it, but come on Bella, tell us," Helena said, throwing a dirty look to her right.

"It's not exactly uh, the most pleasant story," I said, squirming.

"Most stories that end in scars aren't," Jubilee said in a superior voice without looking up at her book.

I narrowed my eyes at the top of her head. I heard Jasper sniff and I looked up.

His eyes were dancing and feel a wave of smugness. He was enjoying me being cornered into talking.

I let out a resentful sigh. "No, I guess not. Fine," I said, sitting down next to Ciarán, closest to Jasper, and tucking my legs underneath me.

Everyone was looking at me now, so I stared at the scar on my hand. "I was 17 and still a human. I had only just found out about _this_ world. The Cullens had taken me in as an extended family member. When a nomadic coven took interest in me the Cullens tried to protect me, to hide me, but one of the vampires was a tracker. He got to me by pretending to have my mother, by threatening to harm any of the Cullens who got between him and me. I did what I had to do to protect my family, all of it," I stared off into the fire now. I could see James leering at me in my mind's eye. "I played into his hands though and he had me trapped in a dance studio where he tortured me on film so that, so that," I faltered. I felt Jasper's eyes on me and I felt the warmth of strength return. "He filmed it so that Edward, the man, the vampire, I'd go on to marry, would be incensed and pursue James to ends of the earth, seeking revenge. But before James could kill me, Edward arrived, fought him," I halted now, unable to go on.

"James was overpowered eventually, though his final act was biting Bella's hand in an effort to turn her," Jasper said, taking over.

"And you were changed?" Ciarán asked in great interest.

"No. Edward wasn't prepared to have me changed at that point."

"So…" Reg said as his forehead crinkled.

"So he sucked the venom out and kept me human," I said simply.

"That works?" Ciarán asked in surprise.

"Not usually," Dick said in a subdued tone. It was the first time he didn't sound like his normal, upbeat self.

Helena looked down and frowned at him before returning her gaze to me. She was still giving me a frustrated, penetrating look.

"Sorry," I said, raising my hands. "It's not my fault."

"Of course it isn't. I'm just used to a little more detail," she said dismissively as she stared at the drawing in her lap appraisingly. She lowered her hand again and resumed her sketching.

"Who have you got?" Ciarán asked, looking across at Helena.

"You," she said with a smug smile. "Tell us about the barrels."

Ciarán looked around embarrassed. "It's not that interesting."

"Oh it is very interesting, I can assure you," her smile turned into a grin. Her hand moved rapidly across the page, her pen scratching away.

"I…oh," he groaned, leaning forward and covering his face with his hands. "Damn it."

"Oh this is going to be good," Reg said, looking as though Christmas was coming early this year.

"Shut up Reg," Jubilee and Ciarán said in unison.

Everyone looked over at Jubilee, who shrugged. "What? It sounds like this one's going to be a good one."

Ciarán pulled down one hand and peered at Jubilee. "Only for you Jubie," he sighed, shaking his head and leaning back against the couch. "You have to understand that I was a bit rowdy in my youth."

"A rowdy Irishman?" Reg began.

Ciarán cleared his throat and raised his voice. "I was only a few years into this life when I decided to start my world travels. I went to England first, to London, where I stayed for the better part of two years."

"Sylvia?" Helena asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Sylvia," Ciarán replied without otherwise explaining. "While there I found myself surrounded by opportunity. Poverty and crime built a neat little nest in the bowels of that city. But of course back then I was young and stupid, not to mention a bit of a glutton and completely out of control. So instead of taking the obvious kills, the ones where a disappearance or death would be otherwise unremarkable or completely unnoticed, I took the ones of society women and men of fashion."

There was a chuckle around the room. Jubilee smirked and shook her head. It was another one of those moments where I didn't quite grasp vampire nature.

"I know, I know. As I said, I was young and stupid," Ciarán acknowledged, raising his hands in the air. "I couldn't leave those just lying around. Obviously the bodies began to accumulate," he continued. "One night I had just finished off a young woman with particularly fine taste in jewelry. I was carrying her body with me, trying to find a decent place to stash it, when I happened upon a cooper's shop. The idea came to me like a clap of thunder and before I knew it, I was shoving her corpse into a barrel that had been brought in for repair." He wrinkled his nose slightly and frowned. "The barrel had holes in it and it sank nicely into the river. It worked for a while too—I'd stash bodies in barrels, drop those into the river—that is until local authorities discovered a couple that hadn't sunk." His grimace grew.

Helena's smile grew wider in anticipation.

"Once they found those, they went looking for more. By the time they'd hauled in the cooper they were calling him…" He trailed off and glared at Helena.

"Say it," she commanded.

He stared at her impassively.

"Fine," she said, turning her sketch book around, displaying a picture of a newspaper with a headline declaring, "Barrel Butcher Charged in the Deaths of 13!" Below these words was a picture of a man's face, contorted in a sinister looking sneer. Helena appeared to be very pleased with herself.

"I always hated that name, 'Barrel Butcher,'" Reg said, examining the picture closely. "It almost sounds like you killed barrels, not people." He turned his head and stared at Ciarán with small smile playing at the corners of this eyes and lips. "_You_ were the Barrel Butcher?"

Ciarán shrugged. "Yes, even though that man," he said, pointing, "was hung for it."

"You," Reg repeated, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Me," he replied with a shrug. "Sylvia kicked me out her place and banned me from the area for a good 30 years after that."

Jubilee began to snicker. Pretty soon everyone in the room was laughing, Reg especially.

I attempted a smile, but I could feel people's glances.

"Oh poor Bella, you don't get it," Reg said with a sly smile. "Our friend Ciarán here would have been one of the most renowned serial killers of his time were it not for the fact that he was a young vampire making rookie mistakes. Honestly he'd have done just as well if he'd just left the bloodless corpses lying on the Royal Palace's front steps. Such ignorance of how to stay under the radar is a more than a little reckless and absolutely nothing short of stupid." He looked over and grinned at Ciarán. "No wonder Sylvia threw you out. Is that why she's the way she is with you?"

"That'd be why. Our friendship has never quiet recovered," Ciarán said, nodding. "Yes, Bella, I'm afraid what I did was completely juvenile."

"Oh, ha," I chuckled weakly. I felt completely stupid and out of the vampire loop again. All eyes were on me. Once again I was the odd one out in the group, the naïve, young girl. It was like being a human in a vampire's world all over again.

My face ached in embarrassment.

"It's something we've all done," Ciarán said in a slightly defensive tone. He let his knee fall against me and nudged me a little.

I smiled appreciatively at my ally.

I smiled appreciatively at

"Did you ever go wild? Cause a little mayhem in your newborn days?" Reg asked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively at me.

I looked over at Jasper who was raising his eyebrows at me.

We both knew that answer. Short of a few incidents where I _tried_ to get to humans that strayed too close to the Cullens property, I hadn't had any slip ups. In fact the last time I had actively tried to get to a human was when…

My eyes left Jaspers' and I looked around the room excitedly. "I didn't get her, but I did have one time where I nearly lost my mind trying to reach her," I said in a loud, eager tone.

Everyone jumped slightly at my volume, but I didn't apologize. I was too excited to have something that I could contribute, something that made me a little bit more like the rest of these vampires. I felt myself grinning.

"We were in this tiny town and a girl came outside of her house." It was the first time I mentioned _her_ since the incident. "As soon as her scent hit me I had to have her. Her blood, it, it spoke to me in such a way, there was nothing else in this world but her blood!" I said, jumping up now.

Everyone looked up at me, all appearing a little surprised.

Reg looked smug. "Someone found their singer," he said in a sing-song voice.

"Oh God, yes, yes I did," I laced my fingers behind my head and expanded my chest with a deep breath. "And I almost had her too, but this one," I said, pretending to aim a kick behind me at Jasper, "stopped me from getting to her. I thought I was going to break apart at the seams if I didn't get her, but he wouldn't let me."

"What an awful experience—I've heard about singers. To not have her? Oh Jasper you really should have just let her have it and be done with it," Helena said in a sympathetic voice.

"It caused me physical pain to not have her," I confessed.

"Yep, singer will do that to ya," Dick said, nodding. "The hour I had to wait to get mine alone was damn near unbearable."

I bounced on my feet lightly, feeling the slight giddiness ebb away and a shadow of desire fill my chest.

I could feel a wave of warmth and control wash over me and I felt the desire drain away.

"Oh look at her Jasper, she's all pent up! Shame on you!" Reg scolded, his eyes wide as he shook his head. "And shame on you, Bella, for not giving him what for!"

"I left a decent scar on him for all his trouble." I smiled shyly at him.

Jasper gave me an indulgent smirk.

"Oh yeah? Which one? He's got plenty," Reg said laughing.

"Oh yes he does! I've wanted to get my hands on him for a bit now," Helena said in a lustful tone.

I knew what she meant and shot her a grin.

"Show it?" I asked.

He chuckled quietly, reached up, undid his tie, and unbuttoned the top two buttons at his collar.

I slid behind him and pushed his hair back; he obliged by turning his head.

There as a hiss around the room.

"Shit," Dick whispered. He laid his guitar down and got up on one knee to get a closer look. "You damn near took off his ear."

Ciarán raised his eyebrows and gave a mocking smile. "I guess you learned never to get between a vampire and their singer, didn't you, friend?"

"He threatened to tear my legs off," I said, letting my fingers trace the scar lightly. I rested my other hand on his shoulder and gazed down at him apologetically.

He reached up and rubbed my hand. I could feel how much he loved me coming over me in waves.

"Christ, what did you do? Just tear into him with your bear hands?" Reg asked, getting up and coming in for a closer look.

I brightened as a light bulb flicked on in my head. Before I registered Jasper squeezing my hand tightly, the words were already tumbling from my mouth. "Actually, that's the weird thing. Maybe you guys can help us? I dug into the ground, tore out a huge chunk of rock, and I hit him with it, and it did this. Have any of you ever seen anything like that before?"

Everything stopped and it was as though the room had been drenched in a bucket of icy cold water.

Reg was looking up at me. He was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Sorry love," he said, straightening. "You sure you did it with a rock? Maybe you had it in your hands, but your fingers had to have done this, right?" He was giving me a probing look.

I frowned.

Jasper's grip on my wrist tightened.

I shook my head slowly. "No, it was the rock. I remember seeing the rock in my hand as it did it. It was covered in venom afterward." I looked around in alarm.

Dick looked almost as confused as me, but Ciarán was staring at me with his lips pressed into a thin line. Helena's mouth was hanging open, while Jubilee sat at the floor with an almost impressed expression on her face.

For the first time since I'd met him, Reg was not smiling. His expression had hardened and he took a step back. "Ximena! Winston!" he shouted.

Everything above us paused for a moment.

"You're no Shield," he spat, taking another step back. "You're a _Wielder_!" he cried, his voice going up an octave. There was a maniacal look in his eyes.

There was a clatter overhead and swift movement.

"XIMENA!" he called more urgently. "NOW!"

Helena threw her notebook and yanked me away from Jasper. "Bella, are you sure?" she demanded, shaking me hard by the wrists.

I gasped, "Yes, I—I—"

The door to the parlor flew open as Ximena stormed into the room.

Everyone launched themselves to their feet now.

Behind me there was a clatter. It sounded like Jasper had knocked over his chair, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Helena's searching gaze.

"YOU," Ximena said, pointing a finger at me, her tone, dangerous.

"I don't understand, I—"

"Helena!" Ximena demanded in a deathly cold voice.

"ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE, BELLA?" Helena shouted over Ximena.

"Yes, I—"

Helena, keeping a tight grip on my wrist leaned past me. I turned and watched her press a hand to Jasper's neck before pulling away. "She's telling the truth," she said in a resigned tone. "She is a Wielder."

Ciarán cursed and turned away, shaking his head.

Helena's expression turned one of sorrow as she dropped my hands, as well as my gaze.

"You will cast her out Helena. You'll do it now," Ximena said in a cold, hollow voice.

I looked at Ximena in alarm. "Why? What—I—" I stammered.

Ximena gave me a look that could turn solid steel molten, silencing anything I might have said.

I shrank back against Jasper, who wound a protective arm around my waist.

"And you would do well to be rid of her too, Jasper," she added, looking over the top of my head at him.

"I think I'll take my chances," Jasper said, tightening his arm around me.

"Then you'll take them elsewhere," she snarled.

I met Helena's eyes. Her look changed from sad to penetrating to stony before she turned around on the spot. "They'll do no such thing."

"Helena, you know what she is. You just saw it!"

"I know what she is."

"Then you know who will come after her. I'm surprised they weren't on the door weeks ago. For all we know that's why these two showed up in the first place!"

"They didn't know the implications," Helena said evenly.

"Well they do now," she spat back.

"I don't know anything!" I cried out.

"You are a Wielder. Wielders are especially desirable to The Three. You do the math," Ximena said in a venomous voice.

Both of Jasper's arms surrounded me now. I began to shake.

"You know what they'll do to anyone whom they find harboring her," Ximena said, turning back to Helena. "Banish her from this house before it is too late."

"You will not give orders in this house."

"It is not your house for you to make foolish decisions."

I didn't think it was possible for the room to go colder or more still, yet somehow it did. The two women stared each other down, both with their heads thrown back, both poised to leap upon the other and fight. Each cast a look that dared the other to speak first.

The silence was not broken by either, but instead by a voice at the back of the room. "It is as much her house as it is mine."

Everyone turned toward the doorway. There stood Adrien.

"Adrien, Bella is a Wielder—" Ximena began.

"And as I understand it, Bella did not know it until this moment," Adrien said sternly, coming toward the circle that had formed around the room.

"That matters nothing. Such excuses will be no sooner be tolerated by the Guard than by their masters in Italy. As one of my dearest friends, I beg you to see reason."

"She is an innocent and worthy of our protection," Adrien said, stepping toward her.

I saw Winston flinch as though he wanted to step forward, but with a nearly imperceptible shake of the head, Ximena declined his support.

"Adrien, we have been friends, allies, for centuries. You would turn my coven out for a child you met not a month ago?" she demanded loudly.

"I would have my friends stay and do what's right!" Adrien said, his voice rising.

"Adrien, this is folly." A quiet gasp escaped her lips and her face became aggrieved. "Think of your family, you must protect it," she begged.

"I am," he replied in a gentler tone.

They regarded one another silently for a moment, Ximena's chest heaving with gasps.

"I will do what I have to protect them," he said simply.

"As will I, to protect mine," Ximena said in a shaking voice. She glanced over her shoulder. "Winston?"

He nodded and disappeared from the room, Reg following closely behind him.

A moment later rummaging could be heard overhead. I assumed they were packing.

"They will come for you," Ximena whispered.

"We'll be ready," he murmured back, "if it comes to that."

A moment later Winston appeared in the doorway with bags in his hands, looking expectantly at Ximena.

"We do not part as enemies," Adrien said kindly, though he looked sad.

"Of course not," Ximena said, casting her eyes down.

Helena gave a small sob and rushed forward and threw her arms around Ximena. There were murmured apologies between the two as Adrien waited for Helena to stand back.

"You will disavow, whenever possible, any knowledge of what has transpired this evening," Adrien instructed in a raised voice.

Both Ximena and Winston nodded. I could hear Reg shuffling at the foot of the stairs.

"Should you ever wish to return to our home friendship, you will be welcomed. But know that Bella will not leave this house unless she chooses to go elsewhere. Am I understood?" he asked, his voice full of authority.

They nodded again.

"Then I wish you safe and pleasant travels. I hope we shall see each other again someday," Adrien said, offering his hand and sweeping up Ximena's right hand to his lips.

She seemed on the brink of crying as she withdrew her hand. With a final look at all of us, she swept out of the room past Winston.

"Goodbye all," Winston said, raising a hand.

"Farewell," Adrien said with a nod.

A moment later the front door shut and the house was silent again. We all stared after them, as if we were expecting Reg to burst back in at any moment, grinning, saying it had all been a very dramatic joke. But they didn't.

Slowly everyone turned and faced me.

"Does anyone else wish to leave?" Adrien asked, looking around the room.

Everyone silently shook their heads.

"Right," Adrien said, taking slow, deliberate steps toward me until he was only two feet from me, giving me a calculating look. "Well Bella, now we must consider exactly what to do with you."


	9. Chapter 9: Our Lady

Chapter Nine

"What the hell just happened?" demanded Dick.

"Ah _Dick_, I can always count on your for your charming lack of tact at the most inappropriate times," Adrien said, not taking his eyes away from mine.

"No, I'd like to know the same thing," Jasper said angrily.

Adrien did not address either inquiry. "Bella, do you take in church?" he asked pleasantly.

"Not usually…" I said cautiously.

"You do now. You'll come with me while Helena fills in the boys," he said in a clipped voice.

"I want to know what's going on," Jasper said, not removing his arms from around me.

"Bella is going to attend services with me while Helena explains in further detail 'what the hell just happened,'" Adrien said dryly.

"I'm not letting her out of my grip, let alone my sight until you tell me why everyone who knows what a 'Wielder' is became completely terrified and why Ximena damn near tried to kill Bella," Jasper said angrily, his grip closing in harder around me.

I felt what little air I had inside me forced out, but I didn't move.

Helena looked confused. "She was angry, but I saw no evidence that she was any danger to Bella."

"That's because I wouldn't allow her to continue feeling that deadly rage once I knew what she felt," Jasper retorted angrily.

Eyebrows went up around the room.

"Emotional empath and influencer," Jasper replied in a challenging tone, nodding his head upwards once.

"Influencer?" Helena repeated with her forehead wrinkled. "Oh!" she said, her face smoothing in understanding.

"Now that's a cool trick!" Dick said, sounding genuinely impressed.

"Right, well as interesting as your gift is, Jasper, we can save that discussion for another time. Bella takes priority. What they said is correct, she is not safe. Not to you, nor to I, not even to herself. Her abilities make her a liability and we need to discuss that and other related matters."

Jasper's arms still did not budge.

"Look, I just threw out some of my oldest and dearest friends by pledging to protect Bella. I'm not about to harm her," Adrien said in exasperation. "I want to help her."

I stared at Adrien for a moment before looking up to meet Jasper's eyes.

He looked down at me. "He's being honest."

"I know," I said simply. And I did; somehow, some part of me knew he wasn't lying.

I sent the warmest emotional hug I could to reassure Jasper. The answer back was less confident. He was worried.

I reached up and squeezed his arms that were still wrapped around me.

Slowly he let his arms fall.

"I'll go change," I murmured, glancing down at my dress.

"I think on this occasion the Church will forgive the flash and dazzle of your attire," Adrien said, giving me a quick once-over.

I followed him to the door. With a glance over my shoulders I saw everyone staring after me, all looking deflated and confused.

I joined Adrien in the courtyard where the morning air was cool and moist, leaving my skin feeling damp.

With a nod, Adrien took the lead in a brisk walk.

He seemed to be having an internal debate with himself until he threw a backwards glance at me and with a shake of his head he said, "You did not know, until today, what you are."

"Of course I didn't," I said, my forehead creased.

"That was statement, not a question," he said in a clipped voice as he quickly strode down the sidewalk with me tagging along in his wake.

I shot a dirty look at the back of his head.

"Bella, this is one of those times that what you don't know can and will get you killed." He rounded on me and I stopped walking. "I can infer from your complete lack of concern that you have no idea what a Wielder is."

I said nothing and stared at him, waiting.

His eyebrows shot up expectantly. "Well?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him, "I'm sorry, I thought that was a statement, not a question," I said dryly.

He sighed exasperatedly and resumed the rapid strides down street after street, grumbling about impertinent youth.

I continued to follow, but I began to wonder if I would just be better off going back for Jasper and leaving Paris entirely. If whatever this was, was such a big deal, maybe we would be better off, safer, on our own.

Birds were beginning to wake up and the sky was growing progressively lighter as we wound our way down lanes overseen by looming white buildings. We slowed to a stroll as we approached a large, impressive looking domed building. The pillars, carved facades, and other architectural attributes made it look like a Roman temple for the gods.

Adrien's annoyed expression smoothed. "That is the Pantheon. It houses the remains of some of the most celebrated French citizens in our history. Rousseau, Voltaire, Hugo, Braille, the Curies, just to name a few," he said in a friendlier tone, breaking the silence.

"Oh," I said, trying to look impressed, but taken off guard by the change in attitude.

"It was originally intended to house the relics and remains of Saint Genevieve, but it was determined that the more appropriate resting place would be the Church of Saint Étienne du Mont," he said as we walked past the imposing building that took up an entire city block.

As we made our way around the sidewalk that circled the Pantheon, a white church with a tall, round tower, and a rose-style stained glass window came into view. "I've been a parishioner of this church for as long as I have lived in this city."

"Don't they notice?" I asked.

"That I haven't changed in all that time?" he laughed. "Yes, but some of them have decided that I am the son, of a son, of a son, and then there are some who have joked that I must have a deformed looking painting in my attic. Either way, the amount of money I contribute to this church ensures that they won't feel the need to ask many questions."

We slowed to a normal pace now. The sky was a light shade of pink now. People were moving around us on the streets, including two women who walked down the sidewalk opposite of us and up the front steps of the church.

"Madames—" Adrien called, and then spoke a stream of French.

They smiled at him and stood back as he held open the door for them to step through with quiet whispers of, "Merci!"

He wagged his head in the direction of the open door and I followed through.

My breath was taken away by the staggering amount of beauty around me. Everything was made of white stone—the walls, the floor, the statues, the pillars that went up to a vaulted ceiling that led up to the dome high above. Huge paintings lined the curved walls that surrounded the altar, depicting Biblical scenes in dark, jeweled tones. The stained glass windows remained dim in the early dawn hours, but once the sun rose, I was sure the room would be gorgeous. In the middle of the church stood two pillars that had intricately carved spiral staircases on either end that led up to the balcony that overlooked the sanctuary.

I just stood staring with my mouth hanging open for a moment, taking it all in.

"You never get used to it," Adrien said next to me, and I jumped as I became aware of him again. "But the first time you see this place, there's nothing like it."

"It's unbelievable," I murmured.

"Hard to believe human hands did all of this, isn't it? Seems as though only Divine artisans could manage it, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," I murmured again.

"Let's go this way," he said, nodding toward a comparably plain white, stone staircase that led up to the second floor. "There's a place I like to go sometimes to sit if I don't want to be bothered," he said quietly.

He led us to a bench located on the balcony that encircled the whole of the sanctuary. "Would you like to have a seat?" he asked as he sat down.

I hesitated, still looking around me in awe, before I took a seat next to him.

"Their sunrise services will begin shortly," he said.

Below us I could see a dozen or so people dispersed around an altar situated between the two pillars that divided the church. People were coming in by ones or twos through the front door and taking their seats.

The organ began to play the interlude. We listened in silence for a few minutes.

I felt Adrien's eyes turn on me.

"Gifted vampires are not the norm, but they're not extremely rare either," Adrien began.

I looked over at him and nodded before looking up and staring into the carved arches overhead. Cherubim and Seraphim cantered about among saints and mere men alike.

"But among the gifted, not all gifts are common, though no two are alike entirely, making each unique amongst its peers. You may have met people who can read some portion of the mind like Helena, or people who can make you feel things that aren't tangible, people who can sense where others are, track them if need be, or even some who can change your experience with reality. These are all gifts that in one form or another, most vampires have encountered. A Wielder is something completely different."

I turned to face him. His face was grave as he stared out over the parishioners.

"A Wielder is a powerful, formidable force, even amongst vampires. What you did, and yes, I heard most of what was said in your stories last night, demonstrates everything you need to explain your ability."

"You heard?" I asked, distracted by this detail.

"I came back and heard you talking, I was down below, still had to restore my appearance somewhat, so I listened," he said unabashedly. "That's not the point," he said, sighing. "The strength that makes your mind impenetrable can be harnessed and stretched like a second skin over your entire body and beyond to that which you wield. You extend all the indestructibility of your mind and body over anything you hold. Anything you hold can become a weapon."

I stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"Bella, you have the ability to render vampires as frail as humans."

The choir raised their voices now and the priest and his entourage followed him down the aisle, a cross preceding them.

Everyone rose to their feet, including Adrien.

I quickly followed suit, but I did so while staring at Adrien, whose eyes were cast down to the floor below.

"And that's why they were afraid, because I could hurt them," I said quietly.

"Partially," he said with a nod.

"And because the…" I hesitated and felt a shiver go down my spine. "The Volturi would want me, want this skill for them to use."

His eyes narrowed as they focused on me. "The Volturi will either want you for their own or they'll want you dead, and they will kill anyone that stands between you and them."

I cast my eyes down at my hands. I twisted one hand in the other so hard I could feel fissures forming in my skin. I wanted to tear away these hands, these things that could endanger others. I felt betrayed by my own body. I disgusted myself. From my peripheral I saw everyone sit down and resumed my seat on the bench, as did Adrien. For the rest of the service I stared at my hands, contemplating this reality. No matter how many times I repeated it to myself, I couldn't comprehend this.

"Me? Powerful? No. Not me, I'm clumsy, I'm awkward, I'm Bella Cullen, I'm just me, I'm nothing special. I'm ordinary, run of the mill. Run of the mill people don't anything amazing, and they're certainly not powerful. This isn't happening. This can't be true, This isn't true!" I thought over and over again. "And what if he's right? I'm just another sitting duck. They're going to come after me. They could go after anyone—everyone! Oh God! I've got to get away from them, get away from everyone. Warn my family! They could hurt Jasper! No!" There was a dull roar in my ears, a piercing scream running through my head. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible. My eyes snapped up, the anxiety having built up so much I was breathing hard.

"Bella?" Adrien asked, squeezing my upper arm and giving me a shake.

Were it not for his hold on my arm, I would have sprung back into a defensive pose. My mind was reeling.

"It's okay, Bella," Adrien said gently, loosening his grip. "You're safe," he murmured, giving my arm a squeeze.

I looked around wildly. The service was over and the church was empty except for Adrien and me. The sun had risen and the sanctuary was bathed in pools of colored light. I could hear the city outside alive and moving.

"Where did everyone go?" I asked, alarmed, and turning to Adrien.

"They've been gone for twenty minutes. You looked like you needed a little time to process. That's why I brought you here by yourself," he replied in the slow, measured words of one who is facing an unstable person.

"Oh," I gasped. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to control the rise and fall of my chest—though air was no longer necessary to my existence, I craved cool inside of my lungs. The air would make things slow down, make things make sense. I opened my eyes and stared around for a moment, returning to my previous thoughts, clarity seemed to come. I leapt to my feet, ripping Adrien's hand from my arm. "Adrien, I have to go. I—I have to keep everyone safe."

"You don't need to do that," he said quietly.

"But the others—if the Volturi find out about me—Aro will find out, and he'll send the Guard after me. I can't let you all—I…" I stammered, pacing in a circle on the spot. "And if I can hide, maybe I'll live, or maybe I shouldn't. Maybe I should just go to Volterra, and then they can do whatever they want to me. I don't know. I'll figure it out!"

"Bella, I have no intention of abandoning you to a tragic fate. Fate can be changed. There is a way out of this," he said, raising his voice over mine, and slowly standing up.

This caught me off guard. I stopped pacing mid-step. "How?" I demanded.

"Walk with me."

I followed him onto the walkway that divided the church in half and stared down toward the head of the church. He stopped and leaned on the bannister.

"Ah, here comes Father Davide," he said, cocking his head to the side.

Sure enough, a man in long robes came bustling out of a side door with a contingent of vestry members and others charged with preparing for the next service. The majority descended on the grand altar at the front, while the priest climbed into the pulpit and flipped through the large Bible laid across the podium.

Adrien called out to him. The priest raised his hand and replied back in kind. Adrien spoke at length then made a gesture to me, and the priest greeted me with a smile and spoke directly to me. I put on my most polite smile and nodded, having no idea what he just said to me. He gave a comprehending smile, waved, and resumed his preparations.

Adrien gave me a piercing look. "You don't know French."

That was a statement, not a question. I could tell.

He buried his face in his arms and started to laugh hopelessly. "Oh my God; add that to the list of things you'll be learning."

"There's a list?"

"Oh yes, and it's growing by the minute," he said grinning as he looked up and shook his head at me. He stared off toward the head of the church again. "Did you know vampires have a saint associated with us?" he asked.

He seemed to have a similar habit to Helena's—changing subjects at random. At least he was a little slower about it and didn't do it mid-sentence. I briefly mused as to whether that was a side effect of age or a trait they picked up from one another.

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Indeed," he said, nodding. "In her life she safeguarded virgins, negotiated for the fair treatment of prisoners of war, led the faithful in prayers for the successful deliverance from the Huns, and ministered to those suffering from something called by many 'the burning disease.'"

"'The burning disease,'" I repeated. "Wait—you mean she knew about us?" I asked as the realization dawned on me.

"She did indeed. How she came by that knowledge is not known, but she did not believe, as most do, that vampires were damned. As people transitioned into our life, she saw to it that the newborn and their human family were separated under the least suspicious circumstances as possible. She made sure that a new family would take charge of the newborn to prevent any accidents in the community. She prayed for the newborn as they transitioned, anointed them with Holy water, cleaned their bodies, and prepared them for a new life. She was our greatest human advocate we have ever had because she accepted us despite our nature and prayed for our salvation. When the revolution happened, her relics and remains were burned and cast away into the sewers." He looked up at me now with sad eyes. "I was too late to save them from damage, but I did what I could when I finally found them. I kept them safe until such a time that the public and the Church felt inclined to restore them to a proper resting place, a shrine."

"Oh!" I said, recalling the earlier conversation. "The Pantheon," I said, nodding.

"Yes, but the decision was eventually made to have Saint Genevieve rest here. There is a tomb of sorts for the faithful to pay their respects. Some come to seek her council through prayer. Some just come to be in her presence."

"That's why this church means so much to you, because of her. It's why your house is called Le Maison de Genevieve," I said, my eyebrows knitting together.

"I honor her above all others," he murmured with a sad smile.

"Did you, I mean…did she…" I fumbled.

"I did not have the privilege to meet Our Lady. She was long gone by the time I was brought over. My Sire though, he knew her."

I snorted. "'Sire?' You actually use that word?" I broke in.

"You know sometimes you really are an infant vampire. Of course I use the word 'sire.' It's the proper word for what he was," he said giving me an affronted look.

"I'm sorry. For a minute there I thought I was trapped in an Anne Rice book or something," I said with a smirk.

"We should be so lucky. It would've made things a lot easier," he said with an edge to his voice.

With raised eyebrows, I cocked my head back. I couldn't really argue with him on that point.

He was still giving me a silently exasperated look. "I'm going to need a smoke before I can tell the rest of this story."

"A what?" I asked in surprise.

"A cigarette. Come on," he clucked and smoothly wound his way down the spiral staircase, his long dress jacket flowing behind him down the steps.

He led us out a side door that put us out in a shaded alley. A moment later he was pulling a cigarette out and lighting it with a silver lighter.

I stared at him, baffled.

"What?" he asked, noticing how I was looking at him.

"You smoke?"

"I do. And don't give me any speeches. It's not as though this'll kill me," he said, taking another long drag.

"I've just never seen a vampire smoke before. Ever," I said, thinking back over my existence.

Adrien eyed me. "If you start getting judgmental on me I'll let you find your own way home."

"I'm not judgmental!" I snapped, my irritation for that word flaring up. "Besides, that's an empty threat," I added, leaning against the wall. "We both know I could find my way back."

"Obviously," he said leaning next to me and flicking the ashes. There was a moment where we listened to the sounds of the city moving around us when he lifted the cigarette to his lips and took another deep pull. "The nicotine doesn't do anything to me. I just like the way it smells."

I raised an eyebrow. I couldn't understand how one appreciated the odor that was wafting around us now.

He took another puff. "Some people like the smell of flowers, some like the smell of coffee, some even like the smell of a diesel engine. And me? I like the smell of a cigarette," he explained, exhaling smoke through his nostrils.

I considered this and nodded, seeing no point in arguing with him. "You were going to tell me a story—one that I hope is going to explain why I shouldn't be at home right now packing and getting the hell away from everyone."

"Yes," he said, nodding. "Bella, I think you and I are more alike than you realize."

I raised my eyebrows and waited.

"Why do you tremble whenever someone mentions the Volturi?" he asked, leaning closer, a small cloud of smoke emitting from his mouth.

I felt the tremor before I could stop it and I looked away.

He cleared his throat. "Probably the same reason why my breath catches when someone brings them up," he said kindly.

I looked up and met his eyes. I pressed my lips together, trying to form the question, but he spoke before I could produce it.

He reached up and began to unbutton his collared dress shirt. "One of their favorite ways to display their power is to leave behind a living witness. To stay behind as a symbol of what happens when the Volturi have been challenged." His shirt was unbuttoned a third of the way. Clenching his cigarette between his lips, he slid his shirt over his shoulder, revealing a faded, pearly scar that encircled his upper arm and included portions of his shoulder and chest.

He waited for me to speak, but instead I slid my sleeve up and revealed the one around my arm, where it had been detached by Demetri. He nodded. "Your husband?"

"Yes," I said, sliding my sleeve back down my arm.

"And Jasper's wife," he said, looking down.

I nodded in confirmation.

"I suspected as much, but the time to ask hadn't present itself until now." He began to re-button his shirt. "I wondered the first time we met, but Helena was rather aloof when I asked her what she'd seen from Jasper on the stairs."

I nodded. "What about you?"

"Corvinus," he said, looking up and giving a wry smile, "My Sire. Back then the Volturi's footing in this world was contentious. Yes, they'd done away with all but the two remaining Romanians, but they were no threat, still aren't. They moved on to other covens that could potentially pose a threat to their rule. Many fell during this time. During this same time period there were still territorial wars being waged, so vampires were very vulnerable. The ironic thing is had they stopped the infighting and stood together, they might have had a chance against the Volturi—that's what Corvinus always said any way. During one of the territorial fights for what was Lutetia and is now Paris, and all that lies west of it, armies were being raised. The doctors and priests were at their wits end, without any solution, as so many lay writhing in their beds, screaming in pain as they burned from the inside out. Many were driven into such madness that after days of suffering they left their beds and disappeared entirely— some even killing everyone in their household in the process. The medical authorities attributed this to something called ergot poisoning. Of course the humans didn't know vampires when they saw them. The answer came from Rome. Pope Honorius II ordered that the relics of Saint Genevieve, who'd had the ability to ease the suffering of those with the same symptoms, be paraded through the city. The crowds gathered in the hopes that the stricken would be healed by her spirit through the relics. The ill were brought out on makeshift mats and stretchers and laid at the feet of the priests who carried the ark on their shoulders. Though in the heat of battle, the two warring groups, the Aquilas and the Lutetias, paused to pay their respects to Our Lady as she passed," he halted his story as he dug around in his pocket and pulled out another cigarette, lighting it from the burning butt that was still between his lips, before casting this aside and smoking from the fresh one.

He took another deep drag in and tilted his head back against the wall, staring upwards. "It was during this pause in fighting, while Our Lady's relics passed before them, that the Guard struck. From what I have been able to find out, both from Corvinus and through my own investigations, at least fifteen vampires were killed amongst the crowd, along with another nine who were transitioning into this life. Though he felt a coward to do it, Corvinus led a group of seven made up of both factions through the fight in retreat. They would not have escaped with their lives were it not for a blessing that he attributed to Our Lady—Corvinus found the tunnels that led to the quarries for the first time. They had escaped with their lives, at least for the time being. Eventually though, the Guard hunted down those who escaped until only three remained. By then Corvinus had found me, changed me, and became the father I had sought after all my life. His longevity had afforded him the means to have a farm in the country and a grand house in city, where he resided. One day he asked me to check on the farm, to make sure the hands were harvesting properly and what not. I went," he stared off now, his cigarette forgotten between his fingers.

"I returned days later to find Arsenius, an old friend of Corvinus's and one of the three that still lived. I knew something was wrong when he tried to stop me from entering the house. But before I could fight him, to overtake him, four Guards emerged from the house. I knew then that Corvinus was dead. I can still remember the purple smoke rising out of the chimney—they'd burned him in his own house. Arsenius had betrayed Corvinus, and I was consumed with the desire to end Arsenius. But before I could so much as deliver a blow, the Guard was on me. Scipio, a Guard member who would later be killed by Aro himself, tore my arm from me and left me writhing in pain while Arsenius begged for his life. He said, 'I told you where the others were—Aro said I could live if I told you where they were hiding.' He had divulged the whereabouts of his friends in exchange for the promise of his own life." He looked down at his hand and saw the long cylinder of ashes that now hung precariously at his fingers. He cursed and threw it away. "A waste," he muttered. "Arsenius's bargain, not the cigarette," he added, looking at me. "Because they killed him anyway; yet they left me alive. It took me centuries to figure out why too," he said, wagging his head and beginning to walk down the alley.

I followed behind him as we strolled down the cobblestoned walk.

"Years later, two vampires passing through mentioned that they had heard of me. They said it with wary, sorrowful eyes, and I realized they'd heard about what had happened. I invited them to stay, but they declined, stating that there were safer places to be besides my home," he bent down and flipped open a sewer grate. "And that's when I knew. I serve as a warning."

I stared at him intently. "Is that what I am?"

"Anyone who finds out what happened to you will be unable to overlook the power and reach of the Volturi. If they have any sense of self-preservation or anyone they care for, they'll be doubly sure never to cross the Volturi, because what happened to you could easily happen to them."

We regarded one another for a moment before I asked the question that had been burning in me. "If you know all of this, including what I am, why are you willing to help me?"

"Because as I said, we're alike," he said with a shrug. "And because it's the right thing to do." He looked down through the dark opening in the street.

I could see he was holding back. "And?" I prodded.

Adrien lifted his gaze to me, his eyes burning into me. "And because one right thing may set many wrongs to right."

"So this isn't just about me and my welfare."

"No," he admitted.

I nodded.

He held out his hand. "I won't ask you to jump in a dress."

I took it gratefully and climbed down the ladder. I reached the ground a few moments later and stood back.

Adrien landed beside me, having jumped.

"What are you suggesting?" I asked, as we now walked slowly down the tunnel.

"Your skill level at present leaves you vulnerable. I'm guessing since you've only done it…once?" he said glancing at me, checking for confirmation, which I gave, "That your skills lack focus and potency. I don't believe you could damage me with a chunk of rock any more than I could, you," he smirked. "At least right now; training will hone your skills to a far more usable strength."

"Are you going to train me?"

"No, I'm not equipped for that endeavor. I am, however knowledgeable in the second component of your ability."

"A weapon," I said, turning my face to him. "Are you suggesting I fight?" I asked incredulously.

"I'm suggesting you learn how to defend yourself before it's too late. What better way than to harness your ability into a usable skill?" A grin seemed to playing on his lips. "Now mind you, you could use anything, but I wonder," he cocked his head to the side and squinted at me. He seemed to be sizing me up.

I looked around nervously. "What?"

"Bella, how do you feel about learning how to use a sword?"

* * *

A gigantic thanks to naelany for her mad beta-ing skills. She came through in a pinch and took care of business-reading the entire story in order to catch up so she could beta. She's amazing. My readers are also amazing. Thanks for sticking around, I'm writing the chapters I've been dreaming about for so, so long now. With a change of jobs I suddenly have all this time on my hands and so much less stress, so I'm soooo much more relaxed and open to inspiration. I promise all shall be revealed in due course. Less than three y'all!


	10. Chapter 10: Balance

Chapter Ten

It took a few minutes to stop laughing before I realized Adrien was being serious. It was only after I saw his exasperated expression as I leaned against the sewer wall for support, laughing hysterically that I realized perhaps this wasn't a joke.

I sighed deeply and shook my head. On the long list of things I was unlikely to do in any life—human or vampire, was most certainly anything involving swordplay. But one look confirmed that Adrien was adamant in his position.

I didn't even bother countering his suggestion, but rather, walked dejectedly back to the house under the streets of Paris.

The kitchen was unexpectedly packed when I climbed up after Adrien ("Normally I'd say ladies first, but I'm too much of a gentleman to follow you up while you're in a dress.")

Jasper practically lifted me off my feet by my arm as he helped me up the ladder.

"Bella, Helena told us everything—don't even try arguing, you're not leaving without me. I can have us packed in a few minutes," he said hurriedly, forcing his arms around me.

Helena and Adrien were having a rapid conversation as Ciarán and Dick looked on.

"She didn't exactly take it well," I could hear Adrien say.

"Well there's a big surprise," Helena replied. "It's not exactly sunny news." The two continued to argue.

"It's a damn shame, what you've been saddled with," Dick said, pushing himself up on the counter. His words blended with Ciarán, who began to speak.

"I've seen someone like you before," Ciarán said sadly. "But they found her." He continued on with a story, but Jasper caught my attention now.

"I promise you Bella, it's going to be okay, we'll find somewhere to hide. We can call the family and tell them they'll need to go underground too," Jasper said, stroking my hair. "I'll take care of you."

All the noise—all the voices! I pressed my hands to the sides of my head and backed out of Jasper's arms, shaking my head. "Stop, everyone! Just stop!" I shouted.

The kitchen went silent as everyone stared at me.

"I have enough to deal with without having you all freak out too," I said, still holding my head. I took a few deep breaths and turned my eyes on Jasper. "I'm not running."

His eyes squinted and I felt a wave of confusion wash over me as he tried to decipher my meaning.

"She's going to train here," Adrien said from the corner.

Everyone, including Helena, looked a little surprised. This information appeared interesting enough that Jubilee came sliding into the kitchen.

"Train at what?" Ciarán asked with raised eyebrows.

I brought my hands down to my sides, wondering the same thing, besides the sword thing.

Adrien took a deep breath, clearly having not completely thought through the whole process yet. "Well we'll start her on defensive, move on to offensive, then to honing her skill. It'll probably take me a few years to track down someone to do the last, so in the meantime we can get her ready."

"And then what?" Jasper asked apprehensively.

"And then we plan our next move. Not before then," Adrien said, casting a look around the room.

The room was tense as everyone looked back at me.

"I…I don't know what I'm doing," I murmured, "at all," I added.

"That's why you've got us. We'll help you," Adrien said kindly.

"Everyone will," Helena added with renewed confidence.

I met eyes with Jubilee briefly. I resisted—and it seemed she did as well—the urge to grin. Not everyone.

"Okay," Jasper said, nodding, still looking unsure. "We'll train you."

I stepped forward and put my arms around his waist and let his arms encircle me. There was some shuffling around the room. I sighed deeply into his shirt and leaned back and looked into his face.

"I'm going to go take a shower," I said, pulling away.

"Okay," he murmured, giving me a squeeze.

I turned around and saw the kitchen had emptied out except for Dick who was still staring at me.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You alright kid?" he asked gruffly.

"Yeah, I'm alright." I gave a grateful smile.

"We'll have you kickin' some ass in no time," he said slipping down off the counter and strolling out of the room.

I sighed and shook my head. "Let's go upstairs," I said quietly.

When we were in our room we both sat on the end of the bed, staring a hole into the floor.

Jasper's hand slid over mine. "I was really worried about you," he murmured.

"I know." I dropped my head and stared into my lap.

"I didn't know if you were going to come back."

"The thought crossed my mind, leaving, just to keep you safe," I whispered.

He squeezed my hand and I looked up. His expression was angry. "You're not going to do that, are you? You wouldn't do that to me."

I smiled sadly and reached up and touched his face. Without speaking the words, I extended a wave of emotions—comfort, understanding, nervousness, sorrow, and overwhelmingly, love.

He sighed and leaned into my hand, nuzzling my wrist.

"I know," he whispered. "The idea of you disappearing is…" he trailed off.

I pulled his head to my chest and hugged him. "I'm not going anywhere," I murmured into his hair as I kissed the back of his head.

We stayed like this for some time. The outline of the window moved across the floor and still, we held each other.

Eventually he loosened his grip around me. "You were going to take a shower."

"I feel grody," I said, wrinkling my nose.

"Grody?" he repeated teasingly.

"Grody, gross," I elaborated. "It's the damn sewer. It leaves me feeling like I'm covered in a film of filth."

"Nice alliteration." He took a deep breath and pulled away from me. "Bella, don't take this the wrong way, but you do smell kind of grody. Have you...have you been smoking?" he asked, taking in another breath and wrinkling his nose.

I chuckled. "No, that'd be Adrien." I slid off the bed. "I'm going to shower."

I walked into the adjoining bathroom and shed my clothes. Where there ought to have been a toilet stood a white cushioned bench with a stack of towels sitting on it. I stepped into the shower and let the hot water wash over me. Being a vampire household, Adrien had the temperature of the water raised, making it far more soothing and comfortable for someone with ice cold skin. I didn't bother with any kind of soap for a few minutes; I just let the water wash away the insanity that had been the last day. I tried to remember when my life had been normal. The more I tried to remember, the more likely I thought it had to have been before Edward and Alice had been killed. And before that? I had been living in Arizona.

I heard a knock on the door. "May I come in?" Jasper called.

"Of course," I said, reaching for the soap and beginning to suds up.

"I'm sorry I didn't stop you from telling everyone that story," he said through the curtain.

"It's not your fault. I was so excited to have something to share."

"Yeah, but now we're in this mess. It would have almost been better if you had just stayed ignorant of your skill. Then you wouldn't be in danger."

I slid the curtain open slightly. "It would have come up eventually."

Jasper was seated on the bench. He cast an appreciative glance through the gap before meeting my eyes again. "You're probably right."

I lathered up my hair and scrubbed my scalp.

"So how are you feeling?" he asked.

"You tell me," I said with a derisive laugh.

"No, you tell me," he replied in a serious tone.

I paused and thought for a moment. "I'm pretty freaked out. My mind's all over the place. I can't believe this is happening. And I'm scared, really scared, but then again, I'm not scared to do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

"And what about keeping you safe?"

I stood still in the shower, clenching my soapy fists. "I've already lost someone I love once, I'm really not sure I'd survive it a second time."

There was a draft as Jasper pulled the curtain aside noisily. He was on his feet. "That doesn't scream co-dependent," he said with a serious expression.

"Thanks," I said, a little hurt.

"Sorry," his face fell a little and he turned away, searching the floor with his eyes before meeting mine again. "I understand what you mean. I'm not sure I could live through something like that again either. That said, I don't want your purpose for existence to be tied to me or anyone else except for yourself. You're more than just a half of a couple. You're you." He held my gaze for a moment before pulling the curtain closed again and settling down on the bench.

I stared off for a moment in thought before ducking under the water and rinsing off. "How are you feeling about all of this?"

"Oh I'm," he trailed off before he snorted once, "terrified; yeah, pretty much terrified. But it makes me feel better to know that we have a plan-well, Adrien does, anyway."

I reached up, turned off the water, and stood there dripping for a moment. "Can you hand me a towel?"

A fluffy white towel was stuck through the opening in the curtain.

"Thank you," I said, slipping it around me.

I pushed the curtain aside and was immediately wrapped up in Jasper's arms.

I giggled as he buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply.

"Now you smell like my girl," he crooned, placing small kisses along my jaw before pressing his lips to mine.

I smiled as he pulled away. "I'm going to get dressed," I murmured.

"I'm going to hop in the shower," he replied.

"You should have gotten in with me," I teased.

"What? And stand at the back and miss all the hot water? Not likely," he said sarcastically.

I pouted for a moment before he leaned down and kissed me again. "Next time," he whispered with one last peck.

I found a suitable outfit and waited for Jasper to get out.

Falling back and sinking into the down comforter, I stared at the ceiling. Sunshine was dancing across it, reflecting off of the fountain outside. Through the open window I could hear the water splashing down its tiers. There were also the sounds of the city, cars and people, birds flying overhead were singing. From the bathroom I could hear Jasper humming a song as he showered. The bedspread felt so soft against my skin.

"Why couldn't it just stay like this? With all the time in the world at their disposal, why couldn't vampires just be content to enjoy the world?" I wondered about this as I ran my hands over the blanket. "Humans wage wars, behave greedily, or cause suffering, and they have a very limited amount of time," I reasoned. "Maybe this is normal. Maybe life's never simple." I vaguely recalled my "normal" life in Arizona. That had been filled with plenty of stress—constantly following Renee around, making sure she did everything from picking up her dry cleaning to taking her birth control pill. Sure, those things weren't vampires threatening my existence, but they had been a lot to handle for someone as young as I'd been. I started thinking over all the times in my life I had faced challenges—school, my complete lack of grace or balance, the awkward dynamic between my Mom and Dad, my entire courtship with Edward, the whole roller coaster with the wolves, seeing my bestfriend run away for the last time, transitioning, losing Edward and Alice. I had gotten through all of it. Maybe I could get through this too.

Jasper strolled into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and the philosophical mood was immediately squashed down by desire. He cocked his head to the side and smirked, looking over his shoulder. He pulled a pair of boxers and jeans out of the dress drawer he used and turned around, his hand still on his towel. "I'm sorry ma'am, was there something you wanted?" he asked.

I stared up at him from the bed and bit my lower lip. "Well now that you mention it—"

There was a rap on the door. "Get decent," Adrien barked from the other side of the door.

Jasper rolled his eyes and in a blindingly flash movement, clothed the lower half of his body. "Come in."

Adrien bustled into the room. "There are some preparations to be made. I will have to go to my warehouse in Bordeaux and locate a crate of personal effects I think will prove to be most helpful in training you Bella. In the meantime you'll be reading these," he said, tossing two books that landed on my stomach. "And when you're done with them, start over."

"Swords: A Thorough Understanding. History, Theory, and Application," I read aloud. "That sounds terribly interesting," I said sarcastically, waving the book at Jasper.

"It will be a literary foundation for your training, though the application portion is hardly helpful when you consider reading and doing are two very different things," Adrien said pompously, clasping his hands behind his back and beginning to pace. "The second book shall be your reward."

"Sun Tzu's Art of War," Jasper said, leaning over and pick it up. "That's more military leadership than self-defense."

"It will provide a good strategic background for her," Adrien said, eyeing Jasper.

Jasper glanced back at the book for a moment then shrugged. "Fair enough."

"By the way, sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear—"

"You do that a lot," I commented.

"Yes, I do," Adrien agreed unabashedly. "What you said about them never knowing if she hadn't told everyone? That's not entirely true."

"No?" Jasper asked.

"You forget, or perhaps you are unaware, that the Volturi have their ways of locating potential talent."

Jasper sighed and looked down at me, shaking his head. "Seekers."

"The finest head hunters in the business," Adrien said, raising his eyes to the ceiling. "It really will be only a matter of time before they find you and extend the invitation. As I understand things, once they've found a candidate they prefer to wait until the talent has been honed, at least in vampires. Less work for them, I'd imagine. Humans on the other hand? It's harder to sense that talent, it's so raw, but occasionally they get lucky. Jane and Alec are perfect examples of ones whom the Seekers have sought out after identifying their abilities, despite being only human," he said, a look of disgust filled his eyes, "and children," he added.

Jasper shook his head and went over to the chest of drawers, retrieving a white t-shirt.

"Jasper, there are tasks you'll be assigned as well along with the other gentlemen. You'll be helping to prepare a training facility."

"Training facility?" I repeated, frowning. "Sounds like a bit much."

"Not at all. I've seen you in action. You won't be swinging a heavy object in this house, I can assure you."

Jasper guffawed as I reached back, seized a pillow from above my head, and chucked it at Adrien.

Adrien caught it and tossed it aside. "Don't pick a pillow fight with me Bella, Helena will tell you, I fight dirty."

"Things I don't want to know about," I said, turning over onto my stomach and sighing. "Alright, I'll read your books. What are you going to get in Bordeaux?"

"Teaching aides," he said simply.

* * *

In the days that followed the house became abuzz with activity. Helena was almost constantly on the phone in Adrien's office. Adrien had gone on his trip, making stops along the way for as he put it, "Research." Ciarán, Jasper, and Dick had their assignment that kept them down below for many hours at a time. Every time they emerged they were filthy from head to toe. That left Jubilee and I to carefully avoid each other.

On the third day since Adrien departed Helena emerged from the office holding her cell phone. "Well that's the best I can do."

I looked up over my book. I had long since finished the two books, but I was working on them for the fourth time now. I kept getting the feeling that none of this was really sinking in.

"Do I get to know now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She had been shut up in the room for the last nine hours.

Some of what I could hear really didn't make a lot of sense, either because it was only one half of the conversation or because it was in another language, so I was interested to hear the details.

Helena shrugged. "I'm no closer to tracking down anyone on this list than before," she said, waving a piece of paper at me. "Maybe Adrien will have more luck though. Other than that it's just researching and ordering, nothing interesting."

"I know that feeling," I said, waving my book on swords at her.

"That's fine. You've got your first bit of training now with Jubilee," she said, walking over and snatching the book from my grasp.

"Excuse me?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Don't sound so shocked," Jubilee said from the doorway.

"Like you weren't," Helena said with an eyebrow raised, amused.

I looked over my shoulder wildly. I glanced back and forth between the two of them. "What are we doing?" I asked in a guarded voice.

"Well, being that you lack the ability to walk across a flat surface without tripping, I've been tasked with teaching you the meaning of balance," Jubilee said in a bored voice.

"Don't put yourself out or anything," I said, not getting up.

"Up, Bella; Adrien's orders," Helena said, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me to my feet.

What was Adrien playing at? In a house full of people, he had paired me with the person with whom I shared a mutual dislike. Any illusions I'd had of avoiding interactions with Jubilee were dashed to pieces. This was going to be great, just great.

She seemed to be thinking the same thing as she gave me a look of deep distaste.

It was all I could do to suppress the sigh that wanted to come out as I got up and trudged reluctantly behind Jubilee.

"Where are we doing this?" I asked.

"The garden," she said, leading me through the "dining room" and into the kitchen.

Dining rooms were hardly ever that for vampires. Back home, ours had been where we met or occasionally did projects.

"Less things for you to break," she added. "Although if you trample my daffodils I promise I will break your arm."

I shot her a nasty look. "Can we please cut the jokes at my expense?"

"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "That's why Adrien picked me for this task. I can be genuinely rude to you without feeling bad about it."

"Excellent. Did he extend the same courtesy to me?" I asked bitterly as I stepped out into the garden.

"I don't recall, but I don't suppose it would help or harm anything, least of all me, so I guess it doesn't matter," she shrugged.

Glancing around the garden I saw it was in bloom—flowers carpeted the beds in yellows, pinks, purples, and blues. Their fragrance was sweet, not overpowering. The brick walls that surrounded the garden were covered in ivy and climbing flowers that had also begun to bloom. It wasn't a very big garden, but Jubilee had made the most of the space, situating benches, a birdbath, and bird feeders around the bricked courtyard in the center. In the middle of the courtyard there was a large block of stone.

"It's beautiful back here." I looked at her expectantly. "So how are we—"

I was cut off as I felt myself flying backwards into the ground and landing on my side, knocking the wind out of me. I gasped in pain and looked around to see what had happened. "What…the…hell?" I choked.

Jubilee was bending over me, her hands on her knees. "Lesson one: How to stand." She smirked at me as she stood back. "Get up," she ordered.

I scrambled to my feet and backed away from her.

"Why do you think you fell down?" she asked, her face smooth and unreadable.

"Because you hit me?" I said, concealing the wince I wanted to make.

Experience had taught me that being a vampire did not make you immune to pain. Things that would have hurt me as a human had no effect; for that reason vampires were certainly superior to humans, but a bite or blow delivered by a vampire was something else entirely. It was an even playing field with vampires where pain was concerned.

I saw the movement, but she was so much faster than me. The next thing I knew I was on my back, staring up at her, the back of my head aching from colliding with the ground.

"Wrong," she said, a smirk playing at her lips. "What is the lesson?"

I blinked for a moment, unable to form the words entirely, though it was hard to tell if that was because of the pain or the shock of how much faster Jubilee was than me. Even as I'd grown out of my newborn speed, I was still pretty fast, faster than most. But Jubilee, she was unbelievably fast.

I took a deep breath. "How to stand?" I murmured, rubbing the back of my head.

"So I ask again, why do you think you fell down?"

"Because…I wasn't standing correctly?" I asked.

"Very good," she said condescendingly. "Up!" she ordered.

I stood up, tensed in a crouch.

"Stand up straight."

I glared at her.

"I'm not going to hit you this time," she said, taking a few steps back. "I'm going to show you how to stand properly."

I stood up, my hands on my hips.

"Look at your feet," she said, pointing. "This is all wrong, even if you didn't have your hands on your hips."

I let my hands fall to my sides and looked down. My toes were turned slightly out and my heels were fairly close together.

"If I were to come at you, I'd be able to take you down again. You want to put your feet straight and just beyond your shoulder width," she said, walking forward and nudging my feet with her own.

I examined the placement and nodded. I was doubtful—this didn't feel that much more stable.

"Now you've got your feet right, but you need to bend your knees slightly—not into a crouch," she corrected.

I had dipped into a half crouch, but stood up again.

"Slightly," she emphasized, turning to the side and showing me. "Align your shoulders and lean forward, but not over your knees. Keep your arms loose."

I mirrored her. I was starting to feel it.

"Great—now you're standing correctly," she said.

I smiled with satisfaction—and immediately collided with the ground. This time I did groan.

I opened my eyes and looked up at Jubilee who was staring down at me with a look of deep pleasure.

"Lesson two: Balance," she stated, continuing to lean over me. "Why did you fall down?"

"Because I was off balance?" I suggested, rolling over and out from under her gaze.

"A good guess, but no," she said, shaking her head. "Your stance was good, but that's not enough. Being able maintain your balance is key."

"Same thing then, right? I asked, scrambling to me feet and getting into my stance again.

"Not when you lack a sense of balance. You can't be off balance if you never achieved it in the first place," she said, sauntering around me.

"How very Zen of you," I scowled. "It's not like I can't hold my own. You know I've been in fights before."

"Yes, but from what I can tell you were lucky," she said darkly, nodding toward my left arm.

I glanced down and saw my sleeve had torn all the way to my upper arm, revealing my scar where I had almost lost everything from the elbow down. "Yeah, well…" I said, sliding my arm behind my back. "So how are you going to teach me balance? You're not exactly the first to try," I mumbled sullenly, recalling blurred memories of exasperated gymnastics coaches and ballet teachers.

"True, but they probably relied on things like muscle strength. You already have the muscle, so we shall focus on other things. Take your stance on the rock."

I stared warily at the rock. It was about three feet tall with just enough room for me to stand on it. I didn't like the idea of adding more height to the inevitable falls that would follow. "And then what?"

"Just get on the damn rock," she said, irritated.

"Okay, okay," I said, lumbering on to the rock. I did my best to take my proper stance.

Jubilee turned to the side and displayed it once more and I made the necessary corrections. "Balance is more than just having the muscles to stay put. It's awareness of everything that is around you. The reason why most vampires have exquisite balance is that they are able to harness their enhanced senses, basing their movements on their interpretation of the world around them."

"Why am I clumsy then?" I grumbled.

"Because there are some whose clumsiness in their old life couldn't be surmounted in their new one," Jubilee said with a shrug. "Don't think you're some snowflake here—there are plenty of vampires who lack grace," she sneered at me and I felt my temper flare.

She looked down and began to circle me. "Bella how does your kind hunt?" she asked, staring at the ground as she walked.

"Scent, mostly," I shrugged. "But I'm a little different."

She rolled her eyes. Her expression clearly read, 'Of course you are.' She didn't voice this however. "How so?" she asked as she looked up at me.

"Most everyone else uses scent, maybe a little of their sight, they decide on what they want, and run down their prey. Me, I wasn't allowed to use scent for a while."

Jubilee opened her mouth to speak, but I held up a hand, "Long story," I said, sidestepping the question. "So I started using hearing. I just close my eyes and listen to everything around me. It became a habit, and I haven't really been able to go back completely. I still rely heavily on what I hear first, rather than scent."

She nodded. "When I select prey I first assess whether it's a viable kill—someone who won't be missed, but I don't just go after them because they're available. There must be an attraction. For this reason I am always aware, when I walk into a room, whose scent speaks to me. By having this awareness, I am able to have a better understanding of the world around me. Perhaps the same can be said for you and your methods."

"I know everything that's in the woods around me and what it looks like without actually looking at it," I said with a shrug.

"Then you're a quarter way there already. Congratulations, your first victory," she said without enthusiasm. She studied my face for a moment. "Close your eyes," she said in a measured voice.

I scrutinized her expression, but her face was smooth. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Do whatever it is you do," she said.

I could tell she was still circling me.

Without taking a breath, I listened to the world around me. Helena was in the house, writing something. Footsteps weren't too far off, somewhere below us. That probably meant the guys were coming back from working on the training area. Beyond that I could hear the birds singing in the sky and on the top of the high wall that overlooked the garden. In the nearest building someone was working away at a computer and cursing occasionally. Downstairs someone was washing dishes at the sink, singing along with the radio. There were cars on the streets beyond. Someone's car stereo blared French rap music as the driver argued with their passengers. A crowd of children were running down the sidewalk, being scolded by a woman. A street vendor was across the road, handing food through the window of his cart.

A deep breath in told me that he was serving something savory, I could smell and hear the meat sizzling. One of the men in line had just come from a construction job; he smelled like wood and polyurethane. And then there was the woman, still fussing at the children; she smelled like chalk and coffee. There were squirrels arguing in a tree over a cookie they'd just snatched from a little boy who was sobbing at the foot of the tree. And then there it was—the distinct sound of something moving through the air quickly, over my right shoulder. I braced for it as best I could, partially absorbing the impact in the side of my head and neck, but the force carried me forward. I stumbled, and fell off the rock, landing hard on my right arm on the ground.

My head ached where I'd been punched. It hurt more than any of the other hits, probably because my focus had been elsewhere.

"Mother, mother, mother—" I growled through clenched teeth, rubbing the side of my head, unable to conceal the pain. My ears rang and my sight was blurry.

"You're improving," Jubilee called. "That's enough for today. Tomorrow we continue," she said from the doorway into the kitchen.

I lay there for a moment, pressing my hand against the side of my head.

"Having fun?" a voice asked.

I knew that voice, even if my ears were ringing, I knew that voice. "Oh, loads, just loads," I said sarcastically, sitting up slowly.

Jasper sat on the rock in front of me. He was covered in dark grey mud and dirt. "Didn't look like much fun," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably because I'm full of it," I said, pulling my knees up and resting my elbows on them. "That sucked."

"She was nicer than I was," he commented, glancing over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"When I was training an army, you got an hour to learn, and if you didn't have it, I killed you," he said, his expression giving no hint of a joke.

"Is this what it's going to be like?" I asked, stroking my neck gingerly. I was slowly becoming aware of other places on my body that ached.

"Yes, and worse," he admitted. "The more Ciarán talks, the more I realize what we're up against."

"That sounds…terrifying," I said, shaking my head.

"That's because it is," he said, reaching out to take my hand before withdrawing it. "Sorry, I'm filthy."

"I don't care," I said, shooting out my hand and grasping his.

He stared at me for a moment then stood up, pulling me up with him. "Let's get a shower," he said, squeezing my hand.

"I thought you didn't want to stand at the back of the shower and miss out on the hot water," I said, with a half-smile.

"Well ma'am, I have to say I don't think that'll be a problem this time," he said, pulling me in for a kiss.

I smiled and sighed into him, our lips moving together.

He pulled away and grinned down at me. "I love that you love me," he said, brushing away a smudge of dirt from my face.

"I know," I whispered, unable to hide my smile.

* * *

Thanks to naelany for beta-ing. Very excited to be working so much on this story now! What you're reading are the parts of the story I've had in my head for years, so I'm so excited to be sharing all of this with you! Thank you for the feedback, your reviews make me grin. Thanks for sticking with me!


	11. Chapter 11: The Blade

Chapter Eleven

I was curled up in a tree letting my kill settle, allowing Jasper time to finish hunting before I attempted to climb down. I wasn't really there though.

As I closed my eyes I could still catch glimpses of my hands smoothing clay away from his neck, feel the grit of the dirt brush over my skin as he wrapped his arms around me, the water cascading down our bodies. I could still feel his hands gently massage the sore places where Jubilee had collided with me; I could still feel his lips kiss those places better.

I suppressed a giggle, pressing a hand to my lips as I thought of his body entering mine. A shiver went through my body and I shook my head, letting the smallest exhale of a laugh pass through my nose. It was done in disbelief. I still could not believe that Jasper wanted me like that, that I wanted him in that way. I would have expected to feel wrong, like I had betrayed Edward and Alice, but I couldn't muster even an ounce of guilt. There was nothing wrong here.

I grinned and scooted down onto my back, slinging a leg over the side of the large branch under me.

Dappled moonlight danced over my skin. I smiled at the canopy overhead as I let my fingers trace around my neck and down to my chest where my necklace rested just under my shirt. All I felt was contentment.

There was a rush of air and the tree swayed. "I like finding you like this," Jasper murmured as he climbed across the branch and grinned down at me.

"Better than how you used to find me," I replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Definitely," he said, dropping into a crouch and leaning across the tree branch toward me.

"I can't imagine what caused the change," I murmured, sitting up slightly and meeting him, pressing my lips to his.

"Well don't look at me," he kissed me back.

"Don't tell me what to do, I'm a badass now, remember?" I said, kissing him more forcefully.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," he pulled away, chuckling. "Badass Bella: Who'd a thought?" He lay back on the thick branch, legs dangling over either side.

I crawled forward and lay on his chest. I felt a hand go to my hair as he gently ran his fingers through it. "Do we have to go back?" I moaned.

"I'm not going to make you," he said, his chest rumbling as he spoke.

I sighed, staring off for a moment before closing my eyes. "Let's just stay here for a few more hours."

* * *

I knew Adrien was back before we reached home.

About a mile away from the house we were flanked by Ciarán and Dick.

"Trouble at home?" Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, just don't need to listen to a loud reunion for hours on end," Ciarán said, wrinkling his nose. "We're just walking around for the next hour, trying to wait it out."

"How long have they been going?" Jasper asked.

"Three hours," Dick laughed.

"Yeah, we figure four is long enough for us to be able to complain if they're still at it when we get back," Ciarán chuckled, shaking his head.

Jasper and I snickered, glancing at each other. We had experienced similar exiles in the Cullen household. At one point we all threatened to get Emmett and Rosalie their own house solely for the purpose of having all the loud, destructive sex they wanted.

"Where's Jubilee?" I asked, glancing around cautiously, as if she might careen into me at any moment.

"Where is she ever? She's off being Jubilee," Ciarán replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, what's the deal with her?" Dick asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is she always such a…" he hesitated.

"Bitch?" I suggested, shoving my hands inside my pockets.

"Actually, no, although she's very good at that too," Ciarán said with a shake of his head. "No, I'm afraid that one has the unfortunate history of having been touched by tragedy." He cast his eyes around for a moment then walked up the steps of a tall, impressive looking building made out of white stone. "Care for a story?"

We all glanced at each other and sat down around him at different heights on the steps.

Ciarán sighed as he interlaced his fingers behind his head. "Jubilee isn't all that old, especially when compared to a few of the others in the household, though her experience surpasses her age. She was born at the height of the festivities for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Her parents thought it fashionable to name her after the occasion; they were very public-image oriented people as Jubilee tells it—local socialites that made everything an extension of themselves, including her. I think that's where the seeds of resentment were planted, because she rebelled from her parents at every opportunity." he said knowingly, "Which of course accounts for her choices in love, because she went for the worst sort of man possible. His name was Ennis, and he was a vampire old enough to be her great, great grandfather. She was young, impulsive, and madly in love. She disappeared one night when she was fifteen, never to be seen by anyone from her human life again, leaving behind a note saying only that she had eloped with a Scotsman." He laughed derisively at some kind of joke that no one else seemed to be in on. A quick glance around informed him of this and he cleared his throat loudly before continuing. "Ennis was a powerful vampire—his skill could be likened to those from the human's mythology of us. He could compel people to obey his every wish. It did not work on vampires, but it was a convenient trick. When the Volturi came knocking, he was more than interested and eagerly accepted the invitation."

A shiver ran down my spine and I scooted closer to Jasper. The movement didn't escape Dick, whose eyes flicked to me before returning to Ciarán.

"He and his new wife, the newly made vampire Jubilee, made their home in Volterra where they served the Three dutifully; Ennis serving as a Reaper of Prey and Jubilee as a member of the uh, administrative staff. They resided with the Volturi for many happy years. It was only about fifteen years ago that things changed. Ennis got sloppy. He was seen luring people away—seen well enough that a decent sketch could be made of him and put on regional media as a suspect in the disappearances. A lot of clean up was involved and there were several weeks where those living in Volterra went without while they waited for the population to calm down. Ennis was found guilty of endangering Volterra, its inhabitants, and their way of life. He was executed at the hands of Aro himself. Jubilee was given leave from Volterra, as she no longer served any purpose to them in their eyes. Ever since then Jubilee has been here in Paris and has behaved in the manner you all have noted." When he concluded his story he sat back against the steps, looking around at us with a meaningful expression.

The awkward silence held out for a minute or so before Dick cleared his throat and spoke. "I guess you never stop mourning."

A soft place in my heart, one that knew her pain, ached in sympathy for Jubilee.

Ciarán chuckled once. "I know she misses Ennis deeply, but I'm tempted to say she mourns more so for the loss of her place in Volterra."

"What?" I asked sharply, sitting up.

"Well she resents being sent away from the Volturi. They have a very intoxicating effect on those who stay there long enough. They become your family. The level of love and commitment there would be damn near impossible for anyone to resist, but it's not just the camaraderie that draws you in and keeps you there. It's far more than that. You come to depend on their closeness; it becomes a hard to deny need. That's why you rarely see people leave—it's not just out of fear; there's a longing you feel when you're away. Being sent away is like being told your own family doesn't love you anymore. It's a rejection you can't know unless you've been through it."

"How do you know all of this?" Jasper asked, leaning forward on his elbow.

"The addictive qualities of Volterra are well known rumors, but Jubilee's story I got from Adrien, though I wouldn't make it common knowledge that you're aware of any of it if I were you. She still hasn't completely recovered. Hence why she's such a…" he glanced up at me, inviting me to finish his sentence, but I looked away and shook my head.

The guys started talking about Dick's time in Vietnam, but I couldn't pay attention to their conversation. I was too preoccupied.

It was at a cautious pace that we returned to the house. The master and mistress of the house seemed to have adequately reunited and were now in separate parts of the house.

"I'm in the drawing room," Adrien called as we crossed the threshold.

We all glanced at each other and joined Adrien, who leaned on the mantle over a crackling fire.

"Gentlemen," he said with a nod of his head.

Everyone replied in kind.

"Lady," he said with another curt nod.

I looked around curiously, but no one else looked surprised at Adrien's businesslike attitude. "Hello Adrien," I said without much enthusiasm, slouching down into a chair in front of him. It sounded as though a long talk was in order.

"Don't get comfortable," he said casting me a sidelong glance.

"Oh," I said, sitting up.

"Are you all finished?" Adrien inquired of Ciarán.

"We're probably three quarters of the way done. Hel's got the center beam and support coming in, but it'll be maybe a week or so before we're ready for those pieces. The steps have been dug and half the pit has been carved though."

"Pit?" I repeated, bewildered.

Adrien put his hands behind his back and narrowed his eyes at Ciarán. "Do we know when that will be delivered and installed?"

"Once the pit is completed the installation should only take a day. We're expecting delivery in the next two days. We've already installed the wall mounts and mirrors."

"Why do we—" I began, but was immediately cut off.

"Well done. We'll be ahead of schedule then, so long as _this one_ has done her reading," he said, wagging his head in my direction.

"_This one_ is already getting tired of being talked about without being directly addressed," I said loudly.  
Adrien looked at me as though he were really seeing me for the first time. "Right, well if you sirs would please excuse us, _this one_ and I have business to discuss."

My glower was met with a smirk.

Dismissed, the guys filed out of the room, Jasper throwing me a glance over his shoulder.

My fingers stretched out involuntarily for his hand. As the door shut I felt the warmth of his emotional hug wash over me.

I raised an eyebrow at Adrien who studied me for a moment, then shook his head, a smirk playing at his lips.

"What?" I asked.

"You and your beau," he said with a roll of his eyes. "So have you been reading?"

"Over and over and over again," I said with a deep sigh. "I don't think I'm getting it," I admitted.

"You might be surprised what you absorbed," he said with a shrug. "Let's go into the library."

I rose and followed him.

The gas lamps were lit around the room. Their flickering light bathed the room in a golden glow.

Adrien crossed the room and sat down behind his desk. "You may have a seat."

"I may?" I repeated sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"Oh Bella, for God's sake, will you sit down?" he asked, aggravated.

I smirked, taking a seat in one of the chairs situated across from Adrien's desk. "Thank you," I said primly with a duck of my head.

"You do like testing me."

I thought this over for a moment. "You're so formal and old fashioned sometimes. It's fun to try to bring you into this century."

"Well it'll be done kicking and screaming," he said testily, though a smile betrayed the aggression behind his tone.

I grinned back. "So when do we start with the swords? Or do I have to read more books about them before I can hold one?" I asked, looking over Adrien's head to the sword on the wall.

His eyes followed my gaze above him. With a smile, he stood up from his chair. "Feeling ambitious, are we?"

"I'm just curious about what I've been reading. Sometimes it's hard to picture it," I said, shrugging.

"That shows you're learning," he commented, reaching up and taking down the sword. "But first we'll test your knowledge. What is this?" Adrien inquired, pointing to the long silver blade.

"Blade," I said automatically.

"And its parts?" he prompted.

"The forte," I said, pointing toward the lower third of the blade, "and the foible," I said, indicating the top third.

"And these grooves?"

"Fullers, they're supposed to make it lighter, but stronger."

"Very good," he said approvingly. "Now what about the hilt?"

"That's the grip," I said pointing at the portion that was tightly wrapped in dark leather. "Up here is the cross guard," I said, my brows furrowed as I examined the silver bar that ran perpendicular to the rest of the sword. It ran straight across, but was thick. "At the bottom is the pummel," I said, my finger circling in the air to indicate the bulbous bottom of the handle formed in silver metal which had been etched with dark, sweeping grooves.

"And you thought you weren't learning anything," he said with a smirk. He tilted the blade, the reflection of the light catching on something delicately engraved onto the metal. There were words, but I couldn't read them.

"What does it say?" I asked, bending over the sword.

"Here shall be your first French lesson. Repeat after me: 'Sang-dessus du pain, le Ciel au-dessus de la Terre,'" he instructed slowly.

"Sang-dessus…" I peered down, "du pain, le Kuh—"

"Suh," he corrected, "le Ciel."

"Le Ciel au-dessus…" I looked down again for help, "de la Terre," I said in halted words.

"Bravo," he said, nodding. "It means 'Blood above bread, Heaven above Earth.' It is the motto of the Lécuyers. My grandfather had this sword engraved with it before presenting it to my father, at least that is what I'm to understand. There wasn't a lot time to ask questions."

My brow furrowed.

He shook his head. "Another story for another time," he insisted. "We have other matters to attend to at the moment."

I nodded, my eyes returning to the sword in his hands.

"Would you like to hold this?"

My eyes returned to his. "Sure." I just wanted to know what it felt like. Reading about it was one thing, holding a sword was something else entirely.

"This is the only time you will," he continued in an authoritative voice. There was no sign of joking on his face.

"Alright," I said, holding out my hands.

He laid the sword gently in my open palms.

It was so much heavier than I thought it would be, and yet, not too heavy, even given my strength. I wrapped my fingers around the grip, raising the blade up as both hands. The leather gave slightly and the firelight glinted off the polished metal. Bringing the blade close to my face, I reread the words etched on it. I brought a hand up, caressing the words, the steel singing ever so softly under my touch.

"It's beautiful," I murmured, bringing the sword down, lightly handing it back to Adrien.

"It is; thank you," he agreed, turning away, restoring it to its place on the wall. He faced me again. "And now for yours."

There was a spark in his eye that alerted me to an impending punch line.

He bent down and pulled a long black bag out from under his desk. "_This_ is your sword," he said, reaching into the bag and withdrawing a long, rusty looking piece of metal.

I held out my hands and accepted the object that must have been a sword at one time or another. The leather on the handle was cracked, parts that were clearly silver were black with tarnish, and the blade flaked off red dust whenever moved.

With a single eyebrow raised and something of a resigned smile I turned the sword over in my hands. Flakes of rust showered Adrien's desk.

"Thank you," I said without much enthusiasm.

"It looks terrible now," he admitted. "But you'll have it remade, eventually," he said, digging into the bag again.

"Will I?" I replied dubiously.

"Of course! It'll take some work, but you'll get to know that sword almost as well as the person who made it."

"Was this why you left?"

"Yes," he said, finding what he was looking for and pulling out a wad of cloth rags, a plastic tub, and a bottle with clear liquid in it. "I had it in storage." He set them on the desk. "You'll use these to clean it, and while you're working on your weapon you'll be training with this," he said, pulling out a thick, sculpted piece of wood.

"What, a stick?" I said disbelievingly.

"You can use the rusty sword if you like," he shrugged.

I sucked my teeth once before deeply. "Who will be training me on that part?" I asked worriedly.

"That would be me. I have a few centuries of experience with swordsmanship."

"Right," I nodded.

"Bella, we need to discuss a change of roles."

I frowned and sat down, resting the rusty sword on my knees. "Okay…" I said cautiously.

"Up until now I think it's fair to say we've been friends, and I wish to continue being your friend, but I am also now to become your tutor. As such, I must ask for your commitment to this endeavor; that you'll train hard, holding nothing back, and listening to what you're told, even if you don't like it."

"I already told you I'm staying to learn." I said confusedly.

"No, it's not the same thing," he said gently, shaking his head. "I will be your teacher. It requires obedience, mutual respect, commitment, and an open mind."

"'Obedience,'" I repeated suspiciously.

"Within reason; that's why mutual respect is also included on that list. This isn't going to be easy Bella and I'm not going to invest all the effort if I don't know you're in it just as much as I am."

"I understand Adrien." I pursed my lips. "I'm here; I'm not going anywhere. I'll listen and I'll work hard." I thought for a moment. "But don't expect me not to ask questions," I added.

"That's fair, but don't always expect an answer or to understand it entirely when one is given to you. Once the training area is prepared, we'll start immediately. I'll keep the training rod for now. You may take these and get started," he said, scooping up the cleaning materials and dropping them into the bag. He passed it over the desk toward me.

"Thanks," I murmured, gathering my new belongings, and exiting the library.

I thought about going upstairs, but with a quick glance down at the sword tucked under my arm I saw it was already rubbing rust off onto my shirt. I couldn't take this to my room with all the white linens.

I sighed and trudged through the house, out into the garden. Glancing around warily, I walked over to my "balance boulder" and sat down.

Taking the sword out from under my arm, I turned it over in my hands. Out of the firelight in the library it looked even worse. How was I ever going to make this thing usable again?

I emptied the bag, seized one of the rags at random, and began to brushing away the years of accumulated rust, dirt, and grime.

An hour later I had hardly made a dent.

But the sun was up, and so was Dick.

He strolled out into the yard and examined my handiwork. "Well he couldn't have given you anything rustier or sorrier, that's for sure."

"And that's with an hour of trying," I said, setting the sword aside, toward which I now held a grudge of deep resentment. I held up my hands which were orange with rust.

"Mmm," he hummed, shaking his head. "Now if it were me, I might try using the wax, now that you've brushed off the flakey stuff. The wax'll loosen the rust up. Once you get a good film on there, you can use hot water to rinse the blade off. Some rust will come off that way.

I leaned down and picked up the bottle with the clear liquid inside. "What about this?"

"That there's your oil. After you get the worst of the rust off with the wax, the oil should ease the rest of it off gradually. Keep smoothin' it on, wiping it off. Might have to alternate though," he said thoughtfully. "But it's pretty much a wax on, wax off type deal."

I grinned, setting the bottle aside. "Thanks Dick."

"Ah, it's nothing. You just looked like you needed the help." He stared at me intently.

I squeezed my eyes shut and bent my head down.

"You're still freaked out, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, that'll pass. After a while, I'd wager you'll be able to take on anyone if you wanted."

I looked up, grinning. "Even you?"

"Even me, darlin'," he grinned back.

I pressed my lips together and stared at him for a moment.

"Oh Lord, here it comes," he said, sitting down on the ground in front of me, pulling his knees up. "Lay it on me?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Dick, why are you still here? Even their good friends left, but you, you just met them, you just met me, but you're staying."

He snorted, dropping his head to his knees for a moment before looking up. "Bella, you don't know me, but I haven't lived the cleanest life. I could and probably should have done a lot of things differently. I figure helping you become strong and stay safe might just be one of the things I could do right."

"Good luck with that. I still have my doubts."

"Hmmm," he hummed again. He leaned forward and picked up my sword, turning it over in his hands. He popped open the wax; using a cloth, he began scrubbing just along the cross guard. We sat in silence for a few minutes as he scrubbed away. "Well Bella, you're kinda like this sword. Now this thing has been to hell and back. It's carrying around the years with it. There's so much of the past crusted on there you don't know what it really is anymore. But with a little time and a lotta hard work, it'll show you what it can be. You might even discover things you didn't even know were there." He looked up, grinning at me. "See what I mean?"

I craned my neck as I leaned forward, onto my knees to get a better look.

He smoothed away some of wax and dirt, revealing the shape of a flower etched into it. "You'll get there," he said simply, holding the sword out to me.

I took it from him before sliding back onto the rock.

He stood up, his smile softening as he looked down at me. Without another word he headed back into the house.

I squinted at the tiny clean patch. It looked like a lily. That was awfully feminine for a sword. I tried to wipe more of the rust away, but it wouldn't budge.

With a sigh I did as I'd been instructed and returned to my task.

* * *

Thanks for the fantastic reviews! I love hearing from you! Special love goes to Jess (BBSapphire04) for being so expressive in her reviews! Very special love and virtual cupcakes to my beta Naelany who reigns in my wandering attention spans (and therefore sentences,) and regulates my overuse of the word 'and.' Love y'all, hope you're enjoying! I'm so glad I can give this story the attention I've been dying to give it for so long!


	12. Chapter 12: Tough Love

Chapter 12

That afternoon, as promised, I had another session with Jubilee.

What little progress I'd achieved previously wasn't doing me any good. I'd "pretty much" have the stance, but I "wasn't aware." I'd have the awareness, but not the focus. I spent more time on the ground than I spent standing. Jubilee was in rare form as well. Any illusion I'd had that maybe we were coming to an understanding disappeared entirely. Jubilee made every hit hurt and every word infuriating.

"Do you remember anything I taught you from last time?" she demanded as I stood up and brushed myself off for the fourth time.

"Yes," I said sullenly.

"Well then, start applying it."

"Right," I said flatly, standing on the rock.

She shot me look for the tone, but I was beyond caring.

"Again!"

And again I was on the ground, my body aching from the hit.

Somewhere around the ninth or tenth time I went down, I stayed down for a moment, cradling my arm as I squinted in pain. I could feel the cuts where Jubilee's nails had dug into my skin when she'd grabbed me. A quick look showed me they'd already healed over.

She bent over me. "You're still doing something wrong," Jubilee jeered. "What is it?"

There was a look of amusement in her eyes that set me off. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" I spat, pushing myself backwards out of her face and getting up.

"Because how else are you going to learn unless you use your God damn brain?"

I growled as I walked back to the rock and climbed up, not acknowledging her.

She came around to face me, glaring. "You know I can think of at least a dozen other things I could and would rather be doing right now instead of wasting my time."

I snorted as I narrowed my eyes.

"Stance!" she ordered and I took my position.

The back door opened before she could hit me.

I turned and saw Jasper, Dick, and Ciarán come out into the garden.

"Mind if we watch?" Ciarán asked.

As I opened my mouth to tell them I did, Jubilee cut across me. "Of course not."

I clenched my teeth.

Jasper gave me a sympathetic smile as he sat on the wall that divided the small grassy yard from the bricked courtyard, Ciarán sitting beside him.

Dick threw himself on the ground and looked on in mild interest.

"Stance!" she barked again as she began circling me.

Every muscle in my body was tensed as I waited for it, concentrating on my knees and feet. Something in me knew she'd relish having an audience, that she'd make this next one worse than all the others. Even as this thought ran through my mind, I kept listening for the movement, trying to anticipate the hit. But I missed it again, and the collision happened.

The back of her arm slammed into the side of my head and she drove me downwards until my face ground into the bricks.

There was a collective, 'Oooooh,' from the guys.

The cracks that had formed in my face healed almost immediately. The place where I bit the inside of my mouth however did not heal right away, and I felt my mouth pool with venom. Pain stabbed behind my eyes as I tried to make the line of the garden wall level. Even though all I wanted was to stay down, I got back up.

"Really Jubilee? Really?" I shouted angrily.

She got in my face. "What? The Volturi aren't going to go easy on you, and neither am I. Figure this out or get ready to be back on the fucking ground."

I felt anger well up in me and it must have showed.

"Fine, I'll do a God damn favor for you, not that you deserve it," she said sarcastically.

"You don't have to do anything for me," I said flatly.

"Oh yes, I clearly do." She climbed onto the rock. "Come at me," she beckoned. "I'll even turn my back," she said in a lofty tone, turning away from me.

I didn't pause to ask if she was serious. I darted forward, striking her as hard as I could.

And I was airborne. I landed on my face six feet away with a huge crash.

"Oh!" Ciarán groaned as he rose to his feet. "Shit!"

Both Dick and Jasper were shaking their heads, their faces in their hands.

"Now you that you've seen it, clearly it can be done," Jubilee said, craning her head toward me. "Once you're done feeling sorry for yourself, why don't you get up and figure out what I did right."

I blinked once before clamoring to my feet.

"Look at my feet," she commanded. "Look at the line of my legs and back. This isn't rocket science, it's a basic instinct. I want to stay on my feet, therefore I position my body like this to accomplish that," she said, gesturing to her body.

I stared at the angle of her legs and back, trying to memorize the pose.

"Now it's your turn," she said, getting down.

I sighed as I climbed back up, trying to mimic what I'd seen her do, but a minute later I was on my knees, having barely absorbed the blow.

There was a snort and a tinkle of laughter.

I looked up, realizing she was laughing at me as she stared down with a look of sheer amusement. She was enjoying this.

I growled and punched the ground, a few bricks crunching under the force.

She laughed louder.

My eyes flashed. In an instant I was on my feet, inches away from her face.

"Oh, you're angry?" she said innocently.

"You think?" I shouted.

"Good, I'm glad. It's better than being a scared little bitch," she said, saying each word with such force tiny bits of spit came out of her mouth. She took a step closer so that our bodies brushed against each other.

I ran my tongue across my teeth. "You know what? Fuck you," I growled, shoving her.

The guys were on their feet, calling out urges to calm down, but we ignored them.

Her hands twitched as though they were itching to get ahold of me, and I felt mine do the same.

"You want to take a swing at me? Go ahead. Maybe you'll do better at that than trying to knock me down," she sneered.

I glared at her. All I wanted was hit her as hard as I possibly could. I was tired of the snide remarks, the extra hard hits, the lack of explanation on her part, her seemingly only giving me half of the training I needed, making me look stupid, all of it! I had reached my limit.

"You're not worth saving. This bullshit attempt at training demonstrates that. Maybe you should just go ahead, roll over, and die at the feet of a Guard member. I believe you're familiar with that process," she purred. "It'd be all you deserve for—"

Maybe she wasn't ready for it or maybe the move had been _that_ good, but in a flash I had her left arm pinned behind her and an arm wrapped around her throat in a headlock.

She struggled against me, cursing, but I only tightened my hold. I could feel her arm beginning to crack under my grip. She hissed in pain as I stared down at her in triumph and contempt. There was the briefest look of fear in her eyes before they hardened.

"Bella?" Jasper called in a cautious tone.

I didn't look up; I just stared down at Jubilee whose face twitched as she stilled under my hold. I knew I had her beat.

"Don't," Jubilee ordered, her eyes locked on mine. "She's fine."

I heard the guys back off.

"Feel better?" she asked through clenched teeth.

I snorted once before letting go of her roughly.

She rubbed her arm, encouraging her skin to close where it had cracked.

I stared at her for a moment, then turned away.

She was in front of me again in a flash. "Stop being a slave to your fear, malice, and self-pity. You can't imagine what you could accomplish if you did." She stalked off toward the house, continuing to rub her arm.

"How's that working out for you?" I called.

She paused briefly, shooting a cold, sidelong glance over her shoulder before going into the house.

My back was still to the guys, but I could feel their stares burning a hole into me. The awkward silence was oppressive.

A vice was closing over my chest. "I need some air," I said, not looking at them. I jumped to the top of the garden wall, and with a leap, I pulled myself up onto the roof next door.

I raced along the rooftops, jumping from one to another. The breeze caught my hair, embracing my bare skin. I felt my lungs fill up and empty with each breath I took in. It didn't matter if I didn't need the oxygen to live; I still needed the air to survive.

I finally stopped on a slanted rooftop. A quick look around alerted me to the fact that I'd run far enough for the Eiffel Tower to be in my line of sight.

I sat down on the roof, which was hot with the day's sun. I sighed as I leaned back against the slant and closed my eyes, letting the sounds of the city swallow up my mind and the warmth of the sun fill me. Within a few minutes the tightness in my chest had lessened and the roar of anger in my ears had quieted.

"Well that was something," a voice said.

Without opening my eyes I shrugged.

"And that closing statement? Icing on the cake," Jasper continued, sitting down next to me.

I shrugged again.

"How's your head?"

Now that I thought about it, I felt a resurgence of pain.

I groaned softly and pressed my hands against my temple.

He chuckled and pulled my head into his lap, rubbing my back.

"You Cullens are such assholes," I moaned.

"Excuse me?" he laughed.

"I'll have you know I thought you vampires were impervious to pain before I became one. I was very disillusioned when I found out that wasn't the case."

"You're joking, right?" His chest rumbled with laughter.

"Nope," I said, popping the 'p.' "I thought you were all indestructible, pain free creatures."

"And Edward let you believe that?"

"I don't think it occurred to him to tell me in the first place, and I certainly wasn't going to tell him I thought that y'all were practically marble statues."

"'Y'all,'" Jasper repeated with a chuckle.

"Yeah, Emmett pointed that one out too. You're rubbing off on me apparently."

"Love it."

I could hear the smile in his voice.

My thoughts drifted back to why I was sitting up here on the roof and I covered my face with my hands. "What if I can't do this Jasper?"

"Is that what you're afraid of?" Jasper asked, his hand rubbing circles over my back.

I winced as he pressed too hard against a sore spot and sat up.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "Is it?"

"That, and if I can't, you could all be killed for trying to help me."

"We all knew what we were getting into when we agreed to this. We could have all easily left with Reg, Ximena, and Winston, but we didn't." He sighed and shifted his weight, sitting up straighter. "Besides, the dye's been cast now, so the best thing you can do is to train up and arm yourself, so that this isn't all for nothing."

I thought about this as I leaned back against the roof.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before I cleared my throat. "Then there's Adrien and Dick. They talk like I'm redeeming them."

"Maybe you are?" he shrugged.

"They both talked about righting wrongs. I feel like there's a lot more to this."

"Well I don't think you're wrong there, but damned if I can figure it all out. Adrien plays things pretty close to the chest."

"You don't think he's…" I trailed off. "He's not like Aro, is he?"

"No, I don't get that at all. I think he genuinely wants to help you." He sighed. "I'm just not sure what's in it for him."

"Well there's the whole history he's got with the Volturi," I said, and I explained everything Adrien had told me at the church.

"Interesting," Jasper said a little while later, after I'd finished. "Very interesting," he repeated. "Maybe he is after a little bit more than redemption then."

I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Has it occurred to you that training you to be able to resist becoming a Guard member could be his own form of revenge?"

"The thought crossed my mind," I admitted, shifting uneasily.

I could feel him watching me, but I didn't look up.

"It could be something else," he said casually, shrugging. "Or exactly what he says it is, redemption. Still, it's a pretty big statement to train someone for the sole purpose of defying the Volturi. You don't just do that without some kind of motivation."

"More posturing," I said with a sigh. "But you said you didn't think he wanted to lead."

"No, I don't see that. I could be missing something, but he just doesn't strike me as someone who wants to seize power." He ran his hands through his hair absent mindedly. "I don't think Adrien has any intention sharing certain information with us unless it's in his own time. What I _do_ know is that everyone here wants to help you, and it's too late to back out now. If people want to look at you as saving some part of themselves, let them."

"So no pressure."

"Oh there's going to be plenty of pressure along the way," Jasper said in a cutting tone as he pulled on my arm to get my attention.

I turned to face him.

His expression was very serious. "And you can't fly off the handle, even if you've been baited really, really well," he said, raising an eyebrow at me and giving me a stern look.

I did a double take. "Are you really—"

"You're not exactly keeping up that promise you made to Adrien by pulling a stunt like that," he said pointedly. "These people are putting everything on the line, and you shouldn't have done that to Jubilee."

"Did you see how hard she hit me?" I cried.

"Of course I did! But we both know what she was trying to do—get under your skin. And you let her! I don't think I've ever seen you that angry before, and I definitely haven't heard you speak to someone like that _and mean it_. She's trying to help you learn how to save your own ass, but you're too busy falling for her taunting to learn a damn thing."

I looked down at my hands in shame.

"Bella, look at me," he ordered.

I looked up and his expression had softened.

"I know it physically hurts and God knows her comment about you knowing something about dying at the feet of a Guard member made me want to hit her too, but you have to look at the bigger picture here. I don't think Adrien would have paired you with her if he didn't think she's the best person to teach you how to stay on your feet in a fight."

I nodded.

"It's okay to be afraid Bella, and as far as I'm concerned it's perfectly fine to hate Jubilee's guts, but you can't let either emotion dictate your actions," he said, standing up. "Now, you're coming back with me and I'm going to give you a few pointers before you ask Jubilee if she'd be willing to train you after all of this," he said firmly.

"And I need to apologize," I added, hanging my head.

He nudged me with his foot. "Come on, get up," he urged, holding out his hand.

I took it, letting him pull me to my feet.

"I still love you, but with everything that's happening, the honeymoon's ov—" he stopped, pursed his lips, and shook his head. "I mean, uh, the—" he fumbled.

I felt a wave of sadness wash over me. I knew he was having one of those moments we both have from time to time, when we're reminded of Edward or Alice, making us miss them so much.

I studied his face, allowing him a moment. "I know," I murmured, squeezing his hand.

He returned the sad smile and kept a hold of my hand as we made our way back to the house.

* * *

It took a while for me to finally get the positioning right. Jasper had to physically adjust my body, but I finally had it.

"This position will help you absorb the impact, but there are two parts to this, which you already know."

"Stance and balance," I replied.

"Correct. You can't be stiff though, you have to flex. When you get hit," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder and gently shoving me, "You come back to the stance," he instructed, and I eased back against his hand.

"Balance will help you get back to this position. With some practice it won't require a lot of thought. As you raise your awareness, you'll be able to anticipate the movement before the hit, so you'll be able to position yourself accordingly. I think you'll be surprised; you kind of already know how to do some of this."

For a few minutes Jasper tested me, shoving me one direction, then another, trying to throw me off balance. It didn't feel entirely natural, but at least I understood how my body should be positioned and why. He didn't make me guess the whys and hows..

When we were done I straightened up, smiling down at him. "Thank you Jasper," I murmured. My arms longed to be around him.

"That's why I'm here," he said, reaching up and lifting me gently down into his arms. He hugged me for a moment before setting me down on my feet. "I don't want you to think for a minute that just because I might be hard on you doesn't mean I don't care any less for you. I'm just…" he trailed off.

"Scared," I finished. "I know."

"I love you," he murmured, leaning down and kissing me before I could reply.

After a moment we separated.

"I need to go find her," I said, looking off toward the house.

"Yep," he nodded. "Good luck."

* * *

It took me a half hour to find her. When I did it was on a bench overlooking the river.

I walked to the opposite end of the bench, looking over at her.

She stared ahead, not acknowledging me.

"May I sit?" I asked, indicating the open spot next to her.

She shrugged. "Free country," she said in a tone lacking any emotion.

I took a seat, joining her in staring at the river. We sat in silence for ten minutes or so.

"Did you come here to see the Seine or did you want something else?" she inquired finally.

"Both?" I suggested, shrugging.

"Well you've seen it, anything else you should probably just get it over with and leave."

"I'm sorry," I blurted out without any thought.

Jubilee looked at me for the first time. "What?"

"Um, look, I am really sorry for all of _that_ back...back there. I'm sorry I wasn't more cooperative." I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment as I tried to figure out what I wanted to say. I hadn't really thought about it prior to this. I let out a long sigh. "You were trying to help me and I didn't act very...very gratefully, er grateful. I mean I wasn't very appreciative and...and I should have been," I stammered, fumbling my words. I stared down at my hands. "So, um, so…I'm sorry," I finished lamely. I meant it sincerely, even if I was incapable of articulating it gracefully.

She looked away, her eyebrows raised. "Are you always this bad at apologizing?"

I chuckled. "Usually," I admitted.

She snorted. "Anything else?"

"I wanted to know if you'd be willing to continue training me."

She laughed bitterly. "Aha. Wondered when that was coming."

I pressed my lips together. "Look, I am really—"

"'Sorry,' yeah, I heard you the first time," she said, cutting me off. She let out a long exhale before looking at me again, this time appraisingly. "I will say this for you, you're decent at disarming."

"Thank you. My brother taught me that," I said, feeling a corner of my mouth hitch up.

"Your brother?"

"Emmett," I explained. "He's a part of the Cullen coven."

"Ah," she nodded.

"You kinda have to be on your toes when you're around him," I said slowly, squinting ahead, remember all the times Emmett provoked my newborn senses by trying to tackle me.

"So why aren't you the same way with me?" she asked.

I frowned. "It's not the same."

"No?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.

I looked off toward the river. Night was falling, but with all the lights of the city you couldn't really tell. Even by human standards it was still pretty bright.

Suddenly there was the sound of something cutting through the air. I shot out a hand and caught Jubilee's fist mere inches from the side of my head.

I stared at her for a moment.

"It's only different because you love him and hate me. You hate me enough to ignore your basic instincts—and I've only just been rude to you, mind you. How do you think you're going to do against the Volturi if they show up? They've taken something _precious_ from you. You won't be able to function," she said in a velvety voice.

My eyes drifted down in shame. "You're right."

"Of course I am," she scoffed.

Another fist flew toward my face, which I stopped once again.

"You didn't fall on your ass when Reg tried to punch you and you aren't now. You've got the skill set. Apply it," she insisted.

I blocked another punch and another.

"Up," she insisted.

I rose and turned to face her.

"Stop being afraid," she ordered. "We'll all help you get there, but if I die because you were too big of a chicken shit, I'm going to be—" a fist flew, and I caught it, "pissed," she finished. She circled me as she spoke. "You must recognize the feeling, but don't be paralyzed—" I ducked this time, dodging a kick, "by it. And if anyone feels sorry for you, including yourself, kick their arse because—" the body check came on at a blinding speed. I held my form—almost. I had to take a step forward, but I didn't fall down, "that means they've already decided you're dead," she said in a cool voice, taking a step back.

I straightened up, facing Jubilee.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Who?"

"Jasper," I said with a shrug.

"Figured," she said dismissively as she walked past me.

I sighed and stared ahead at the skyline.

Maybe she was right? Maybe I really had been operating under the assumption that I was as good as dead.

The sudden blow to my lower back put me on the ground.

I groaned as I looked up into the smirking face of Jubilee.

"Your focus still needs some work," she said flatly before moving out of my line of sight.

I winced as I sat up, looking after her as she walked away.

"Does that mean you'll train me?" I called.

She laughed loudly, but did not turn back or answer.

I rubbed my back as I winced. "Guess so," I murmured to myself.

* * *

Wow-people have started to pick this and Afterlife back up! Thank you guys so much for reading! It gives me such joy and pleasure to read your reviews and see all the different people from around the world who've read these stories! I would like to thank my dear beta Naelany, without whom I could not begin to break my habit of overusing the word 'and.'


	13. Chapter 13: Blitzed

Chapter 13

In the days that followed my balance improved. I still spent a lot of time picking myself up off the ground, but it was with far less resentment. Grace did not come easily to me, despite the concerted effort, but the concept was beginning to take.

It was on day eight that I finally managed to fully rebuff Jubilee, sending her sailing through the air and landing in a heap on the ground, just short of the kitchen window.

"Fucking finally!" she crowed, heaving herself up. "Now do it again!"

I paid for the success by tumbling to the ground—it appeared a big head, heavy with a sense of self-satisfaction, left me off-balance. We got into a rhythm though, and soon, more often than not, Jubilee was the one complaining about torn clothes and aching limbs. By sunset I hadn't taken a tumble in hours.

That night we marked the small progress with our own separate celebratory hunting trips. Jasper was still down below with the rest of the guys, Adrien included now. With newly arrived equipment, construction efforts had been doubled. I didn't see much of anyone aside from Helena and Jubilee.

Helena joined Jubilee on the hunting excursion, so after a quick change, I was running alone through the city and a little while later, into the forest.

The habit of hunting had come back to me finally. Whenever Jasper and I slipped off for our hunts I found myself not just looking forward to the time alone with him, but to the rush of the hunt and the small satisfaction I derived from the kill.

As I stood in the woods and listened I found my prey and took off after it.

Badger was interesting—an omnivore, it had its appeal, the tang of a creature that fed off other animals. Still, it wasn't the same as a big carnivore, and at the moment those were a little thin on the ground, at least in this forest.

I stood up and brushed off my knees carelessly, looking around me for a good place to relax. Running after a kill was the vampire equivalent to swimming after eating. It just wasn't comfortable.

I found a tree and lightly leapt up to a large, low hanging branch. Settling back against the trunk, I stared up into the starless sky. There was no moon tonight; clouds had blotted out the night sky. The wind was picking up and I could smell the imminent rain storm.

The breeze breathed life into me, filling me with a sense of calm I hadn't felt in so long. This was the longest I'd been alone in months and months. I hadn't realized how much I missed it. Each gust brought on a new wave of contentment.

I tucked a strand of hair behind ear, but the wind tugged it out of place again. My hand trailed down my chest to the ring tucked beneath the front of my tank top. I sighed and traced the ring, deriving some comfort out of the movement.

Le Maison was slowly becoming home for me, but with the discovery of my ability, the anxiety levels of the house had gone through the roof. Even Jasper was on edge. Maybe because he let his guard down with me, sometimes I felt the emotional tinge of the stress rolling off of him and lapping at me.

I leaned forward on my knees and sighed. I didn't want to think about the house right now. My arm slid forward over my knee and I could feel the mud, sticky against my elbow.

I groaned and tried wiping it off. I never quite got the hang of crouching over prey without getting dirt on my knees—a shortcoming that drove Alice up a wall.

She was always exasperated by the state of my clothes after hunting, to the point that she threatened to buy me knee pads and a poncho to protect her artfully chosen wardrobe.

I smiled, remembering her shrill cries.

_"Those are SEVEN jeans, Bella!" she chastised, her hands going to her hips._

_"Looks like one to me," I said, baiting her._

_Edward snickered as he followed me up the back steps onto the deck._

_We had just finished hunting down a pair of deer each._

_"Oh ha, ha, very funny," Alice said sarcastically. "Those jeans are $200 a pair!"_

_"Like you care about the money," Edward said with an edge in his as he threw himself into a deck chair._

_I sat down at his feet and attempted to pick off the worst of the dirt and bracken that had gotten stuck to them. It wasn't really helping though._

_Alice narrowed her eyes. "It's the principle of the matter. It's an abuse of clothing," she said dramatically. "And it's wasteful," she added._

_"Yep, you're right, which is why I'll wash these and wear them again," I said, shrugging. "Or I could just go to Wal-Mart and get a few pairs of cheap, no name brand jeans that I can wear when I hunt."_

_Alice bit her lip, clearly torn between being right and seeing any member of her family in a non-designer outfit. "We'll just make these your hunting jeans. You can be the first member of our family to wear a clothing item more than once. That'll be fine," she conceded, her eyes locked on my knees. "Just fine," she reiterated._

_Her eyes went unfocused for a moment._

_I recognized her expression and waited for her to let me in on what she'd just seen, since Edward would already know._

_She shook away the fog a moment later and grinned. "Ooooh, I love presents!" she squealed._

_Jasper's motorcycle could be heard making its way up the driveway._

_She dashed through the house, off to receive whatever gift Jasper had brought back from his trip to Port Angeles._

_I looked over at Edward with a raised eyebrow._

_"He brought her back a new set of pastels so she could capture the beautiful sunset she sees coming after the storms tomorrow," he said with a shrug. "Nice job on not caving in on the jeans thing," he said, sitting up and kissing my cheek._

_"I know she likes us in new clothes, but I'm just going to keep ruining them until I get the hang of that crouch. Plus I like these jeans, I want to keep them, even if it does piss her off."_

_His lips trailed down my jaw to my neck and I shivered. "Especially because it pisses her off," he corrected with a chuckle. "I know you."_

_"Maybe," I murmured, tilting my head forward as his lips ran down to the collar of my shirt._

_"I wasn't going to let her get too far with that whole wasting money thing. One of our investments is about to triple in value. We'll be set again for another few decades."_

_"So she was just being a brat?" I asked, my eyebrows going up._

_"Yep," he said with a laugh. "You say this like you're surprised."_

_"I should—"_

_"Stay here with me," he said, cutting me off and pulling me into him. He pressed his lips against mine, the warmth of his mouth running through me immediately._

_He snaked an arm around my knee and turned me around and I wrapped my arms around his neck. His lips broke away from mine and trailed down my throat._

_"I…I can't argue with that," I moaned, twisting a handful of his hair in my fingers._

The roll of thunder brought me back to the present, and as though the sky had opened up, rain came pouring down in sheets.

Water dripped down through the canopy. It was with reluctance that I stood up and stretched.

With careful, deliberate steps I walked the length of the branch and dropped down to the ground below.

What little shelter from the rain the tree had offered me was gone; in a relatively short time I was soaked. Since keeping dry wasn't on my list of priorities, I walked back through the woods at a leisurely pace. My tank top clung to me and my jeans were slick and heavy.

I heard Jasper's words, "I hate wet jeans," and I grinned.

The rain and wet jeans couldn't ruin my mood. In the flashes of lightning, blue light sparkled off the rain drops, making the world look, for just an instant, like it was dipped in glitter. I stared up at the sky through the trees. I loved lightning as a vampire.

When I was a human I saw a bolt of lightning, maybe a few stray bolts coming down from it. But as a vampire I saw the full bolt, shattering the sky with its blue-white light, the dozens of tendrils reaching out and beckoning to the ground below. It was so breathtaking, that the first time I saw a storm as a vampire I actually gasped.

A particularly large bolt snaked its way through the sky, the crack of thunder punctuating the moment following. It was within the split second between the lightning and the sound of thunder that I heard it, sensed it.

The whizzing through the air, as though something, no, someone were moving incredibly fast toward me.

I immediately dug into my stance, but even as I did so, I realized whoever it was had not come alone. A second presence made itself known as it approached me from the front. The blow to the back did not put me down, but my vision was immediately cut off thereafter from the front by someone who forced something over my eyes.

I swung wildly with one hand, still ducked down in my crouch, as I tried to pull whatever it was off my eyes, but strong hands pulled my arm away. A kick found its place in my chest, knocking me to the ground. Arms forced me face down on the ground, moss and mud flooding my mouth. They tried to pin me, but I reared back my elbow, connecting with an assailant. I squirmed away and got on my feet, resuming my stance. I was struck around the knees, but I didn't buckle.

My hands were at the slick plastic that shredded and stuck to my fingers as I furiously tried to tug it away. WHAM! A punch to the kidneys made me stumble, but I stayed upright. Another punch, another kick, then a full body check.

I suppressed a sob as I struggled, feeling the terror starting to creep in. What if this was it? What if this was how I'd die? Had the Volturi found me? Images of those I loved flicked through my mind and as I settled on Jasper I grew more terrified that he would be next. If they found me here, they'd only have to follow my scent back to the house where they'd...I couldn't let that happen!

Somewhere in the back of my mind I heard orders being screamed in my own voice. "Do not give up! Take one down then handle the second! LISTEN! Use your ears!"

Another voice seemed to be trying to drown out the first with comments like, "You're going to die. This is it. You can't win."

"Don't listen to that! FIGHT!" the first voice ordered persistently.

The second, terrified voice replied, "What if they've already been to the house? What if everyone's already dead?"

I thought of everyone in the house whom I'd grown to respect, the people whom I considered to be friends. Their faces passed in front of my mind's eye, finally returning to Jasper. If there was a chance he could still be alive...

In the seconds before another clap of thunder I heard the sound an impending hit. I caught the arm before it could land across my throat. I pulled the arm into me as I turned and forced the attacker to the ground. I blindly rammed a foot into the person's chest and pinned them to the ground. With my grip just below the assailant's elbow, I began to twist, feeling the cracks form under my fingers. Using my free hand I tore away a few pieces of what I now realized was tape; it was then that I got my first slightly obscured look at Jubilee, who lay at my feet, looking somewhat resigned.

I released her immediately and backed away. It was only when I took in the breath that I detected the hint of lavender on the air. I spotted Helena leaning up against the trunk of a nearby tree, twirling a ring of duct tape around her fingers.

I spat out the bits of dirt and mud that were in my mouth and clawed at my eyes, finally pulling a few scraps of the tape off of my face. "What the hell?" I demanded, still backing away.

"Just seeing how good you'd handle this when you weren't expecting it," Jubilee said with a shrug as she sat up.

"So you blitz me in the woods?" I screamed.

"Pipe down, you did pretty well," Jubilee said, clamoring to her feet.

"You—you, I—" I stammered. I rounded on Helena. "_You_ agreed to this."

"Of course," Helena said sensibly. "I'd rather you be prepared than have something unexpected get you killed."

"You did alright—especially with the stance. I do have to give you credit on that Bella," Jubilee said. She went on, but I tuned her out.

My hands went to my hair as I gripped it at the roots. I pressed my chin to my chest, taking in quick, panicked breaths. I tried to massage some calm into my scalp, working my way down my neck. I froze when I realized something was missing.

"…We'll have to work on how you handle forces from multiple directions but—"

"STOP TALKING," I shrieked.

Jubilee immediately went silent, her forehead creased.

I patted myself down furiously, searching through my hair and clothing.

My eyes searched the ground rapidly.

"Look Bella, I'm sorry if you were—"

"My ring! My ring is gone!" I screamed, diving to my knees.

"Your ring?" Jubilee asked in confusion.

"Edward's wedding ring was on a chain around my neck, it was there before the fight and now it's gone. I have to find it. I have to!" I cried, running my hands through all that makes up a forest floor.

"Are you sure you had it?" Helena asked from above me.

"Yes, yes, I know I had it before you two attacked me, and now it's gone, and I have to find it, I can't lose it!" I sobbed. "It's Edward's! It's all I've got!" I clawed through the dirt frantically.

"Oh shit," Jubilee said, dropping to her knees and sifting through the leaves beside me.

Helena drifted across the open space where we'd fought, her eyes raked the ground for any sign of the ring. "What does it look like?" she called.

"It's white gold and it's a ring and it's on a chain that's white gold too," I said in a panicked voice.

"We'll find it Bella," Jubilee said reassuringly, still scrambling over the ground a few feet away from me. "If I have to steal a metal detector tonight, we'll find it."

I continued to sob, the warm rain feeling just like tears as it ran down my face. "I have to, I have to—" I moaned. "Please..."

For a few minutes the three of us combed the ground for the ring. I was about to give up hope when I heard Helena call out, "Found it!"

"Oh thank God," Jubilee gasped in relief, sitting back on her heels.

I leapt to my feet and crossed the space between us in a single stride as she tugged the necklace out of the mud. "The chain's broken, but we can get that fixed or we can get a new one," Helena said kindly.

A fresh wave of crying wracked my body as I seized the ring and held it to my forehead, the sound of my weeping muffled by my wrists. "Thank you, thank you," I murmured.

"It's okay Bella, you've got it back," Helena said reassuringly. "Calm down."

I couldn't though. The fear was rising up from my stomach, past my chest. My head was swimming, my vision was sliding, and a moment later I felt the terror bubble up in my throat.

Falling to my knees, I bent over and vomited up every drop of blood I'd consumed that night.

"Jesus Christ!" murmured Helena, who jumped back.

After a few more heaves, I sat back on my feet, trying to focus my eyes. Sobs still shook me; each breath came out shaky.

I turned my eyes to Helena. "Please, can I go back to the house? I just want to go home," I begged.

Helena gave an alarmed look at Jubilee who didn't look like she knew quite what to do. "Of course, Bella, we can go home."

I watched my feet for nearly the entire duration of the run home. I was mildly aware of what was in front of me, but I left my path up to instinct and luck as we meandered through the city. My crying quieted some as we approached the house. My breathing now came out in frequent little gasps and shivers shook my body. My hands were clasped over one another, pressing the ring into my chest.

Jubilee walked ahead, opening the door, and I followed her in. The laughter coming from the dining room immediately stopped as everyone turned their faces toward us.

I sniffed, looking up for the first time.

Ciarán, Dick, Jasper, and especially Adrien all looked mildly horrified at the dripping, muddy mess that stood in the foyer.

"What the bloody hell?" Adrien cried, getting to his feet. "What happened?" he demanded.

Jasper stared at me intently as he stood and took careful steps toward me.

"Bella?" Adrien inquired.

I sniffed and shook my head, looking down at my hands again. In the light of the lamp overhead I noticed now that my clothes and skin were covered in stains of mud, grass, and vomited blood. My clothes were torn in places, and I had tear I hadn't noticed before below my right knee that had healed over.

"What in the hell happened to the three of you? Why do you look like this?" he demanded again, his voice rising.

Helena and Jubilee glanced at me before looking away.

"I think I'll take Bella upstairs," Jasper said quietly, putting an arm around my shoulders and steering me up the steps.

He led me to our bedroom and into the bathroom. Without stopping to undress me he helped me into the shower and turned on the water.

I jumped as the spray hit me.

"Sorry, sorry," he said quickly, turning off the shower and letting the faucet run.

"I don't like wet jeans," I whispered pitifully.

He gave a sad smile and his hands were immediately at my waist, removing the offending clothing.

"Deep breaths Bell," Jasper murmured.

"What do you mean you blind-attacked her?" Adrien shouted from below.

I gasped, my hands tightening into my chest.

"Bella, it's okay," Jasper said softly. "Do you want to take off your shirt?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Okay."

Below could be heard the full story of what had transpired, but I didn't bother listening.

Jasper settled me into the tub and began to pour handfuls of water over my back.

Adrien's voice punctuated the quiet. "I don't care _what_ you were trying to do!"

Jasper's expression remained unreadable as he reached down with a washcloth. "You still have some of the adhesive stuck to your skin," he said, gently scrubbing it away. "And tape in your hair," he added, his eyes taking it all in.

I nodded and looked up into his face. I couldn't meet his eyes though.

"I was just trying to train her!" Jubilee protested.

"Well you're done with that—unless I give you explicit instructions you are to limit yourself to balance and stance, training only with the boulder and the beam. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Crystal." A door to the outside slammed.

"Adrien—"

"Helena, I don't want to hear it. I don't know how we're going to have her trust us if we play games like this. She's our friend damn it! She deserves better than that!" Adrien's voice shook with anger.

Their conversation continued, but my attention drifted away from it.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the shaking and the gasping breaths. Still, no matter how hard I tried to shake off the terror and panic, it was still there in my chest. I pressed the ring tighter into skin. The water was now light brown with dirt. Bits of bark, pine needles, and leaves clung to the sides of the tub as the water splashed up.

I blinked, trying to focus my eyes.

_I walked along the side of the creek bed. A developer upstream had diverted the creek a few weeks beforehand, despite heavy lobbying by locals. Now all that remained was a slick path of mud._

_Edward had the notion that we might be able to find some relics from early settlers that could come to light, now that the water was gone. So there we were, Edward and I, hiking along either side of the now former creek, looking for anything "interesting" as Edward had put it._

"_Is this something?" I asked, pointing to a squarish rock._

"_Nope, just a rock," Edward said as he craned his neck to get a better look._

"_Could be an ancient Indian rock," I suggested._

"_For ceremonial rock purposes?" he asked._

"_Yep. It totally looks like a ceremonial rock," I said confidently._

"_They had those, actually, the tribes around here," he said as he climbed over a fallen tree in his path._

_"Oh, I didn't kn—" I stumbled over a tree root, but managed not to fall._

_"Watch it!" he called._

_When I looked up he was smirking._

"_I'm watching," I retorted as I focused on where I was stepping._

"_Back to the ceremonial rocks," Edward began._

"_Back to the ceremonial rocks," I repeated._

"_They had those, but they'd be carved or broken in such a way that a design could be achieved. Depending on the ceremony they could have fairly significant value to those who possessed the rock," he said, stopping and turning something over with his foot._

"_I had no idea rocks were such serious business. My apologies for making light of ceremonial rocks then," I replied as I bent over a flotsam strewn patch of mud._

"_I'm sure the hypothetical rock appreciates your apology."_

"_Hey, do you think early settlers drank cans of Surge?" I snorted. "God, how long has this been here—I don't even think they make Surge anymore," I said incredulously, using a stick to pick up the can._

_I held it up, looking across the creek bed expectantly, but Edward wasn't there._

"_Uh, Edward?"_

_Suddenly I became keenly aware of how quiet it had gotten. I looked around either side of the banks and into the surrounding trees, but he wasn't there. "Edward, where did you go?" I asked, raising my voice._

_There was no reply._

_I turned around on the spot. "Edward?" I called again. "Quit playing."_

_There was a crack behind me and I spun, but there was nothing there. "Come on Edward, I thought you wanted to find…artifacts and stuff."_

_Another snap of a twig, this time in front of me; I turned my head, but nothing. "If you don't cut it out I'm going to—"_

_Suddenly I was swept off my feet, my arms pinned to my sides, the stick and can falling to the ground._

_"You're going to what?" Edward growled wickedly._

_I squealed. "Edward, put me down!"_

_"Or what?" he demanded with a triumphant look._

_I tried to kick myself free, but he only laughed and took a few steps closer to the muddy bed. "Don't you dare!"_

_"Or what?" he repeated._

_"Or Alice will kick your ass!"_

_This seemed to give him pause and he appeared to debate it. "Nope, don't care," he said with a shrug, and unceremoniously dropped me into the mud._

_I cringed in disgust as I sank into the mud. My arms, which I had stuck out to catch myself, were now elbow deep in stinking sludge. The rest of my body was caked or spattered as well and partially submerged. "EDWARD!" I shouted, outraged._

"Bella?" Jasper's voice called. "_Bella_?" he said again, shaking me lightly by the shoulders.

I looked up at him, my face empty of expression.

"No, no, no. You're not going to do this. I know what happened was scary, but you cannot disappear on me. Stay with me," he said in earnest. "Stay with _me_ Bella. I'm _here_, I love you," he pleaded.

My eyes widened for a moment as the roar of fear started to quiet in my ears. I began to hear him clearly for the first time. He was scared.

"Stay with me," he repeated, brushing the washcloth over my cheek.

I blinked a few times and let my hands fall from my chest. Still keeping a grip on the ring I put my arms around him, burying my face into his chest, and started to cry again. "I thought I was going to die and that you'd be next, or-or that they had already been here."

"I know Bella," he murmured, rubbing circles into my back. "I know."

There was a quiet knock on the door then.

"Bella, it's me," Adrien called through the door. He paused before clearing his throat. "I don't need to come in," he said in an uncharacteristically anxious tone. "I…I just wanted to let you know that I had no idea they were going to do that, none at all." He sighed. "I'm so sorry. That was completely uncalled for and I know it must have been terrifying." His weight shifted behind the door as though he had turned. "You have my word that will never happen again," he said quietly.

I nodded at the door, despite the fact that he couldn't see me.

"Thank you Adrien," Jasper called for me.

Adrien's footsteps led out of the bedroom.

I looked up at Jasper, still shaking. "I don't want to be afraid," I murmured.

"I know," he began, continuing to rub my back.

"No," I said leaning away to look more directly into his face. "_I don't want to be afraid_," I said more forcefully.

His forehead creased for a moment before he understood, his eyebrows going up in surprise. "Are you asking me to—?"

"Make me not afraid anymore?" I begged.

"Bella, I…it doesn't work like that."

"Why not?" I asked, my voice desperate.

"Because it just doesn't," he said sadly. "But I'll do my best. Why don't we get you rinsed off, and we can lie down."

"Okay," I murmured, allowing him to help me stand up.

I didn't jump this time as the water came on, rinsing the dirty water off of me, nor did I resist when he gently tore the stained tank top and cast it aside.

He helped me dry off and led me into our bedroom, holding the blankets up as I slid underneath. He tugged his shirt over his head before he climbed up into bed next to me, lying on top of the sheets and blankets.

He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into him. "Deep breaths Bella, deep breaths," he purred.

He took the hand I had outside of the blankets and began rubbing his thumb over my knuckles as he stared intently into my face.

"I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much. What happened is over and everything is okay. You're safe, I'm safe," he crooned. "Just feel my breathing and let your breathing match mine. Deep, slow breaths."

I felt the rise and fall of his chest and allowed my breathing to slow, and soon the shaking subsided.

We lay there like that for a while. Jasper was more than just holding me; he anchored me to the bed, to the house, to the city, to him. He kept me there and present.

A little while later I turned and buried my face into his chest. "I thought if I died you'd be next or maybe that they'd already gotten you," I said breathily, trying to avoid crying again, repeating myself.

"I know, but you didn't die, and I'm still alive and kicking."

I nodded.

"And speaking of kicking, I think you should know I don't need to kick Jubilee's ass, since you already took care of that."

"What?" I asked, tilting my head up.

"I think you need to examine her arm the next time you see her," he said with the hint of a smirk.

"What did I do?" I asked, bewildered.

"It looks like you tried to tear it off and were damn near successful."

"No way."

"I know it's hard to believe Bell, but you are indeed a bad ass."

I laughed shakily. "Oops."

"'Oops,' she says," he laughed, pulling me tightly into his chest.

He continued to rub my back and kissed the top of my head. "Were you afraid of dying?"

I shrugged. "That wasn't all of it."

"You're afraid of not being able to protect the people you care about."

It wasn't a question, so I nodded.

He sighed deeply. "I hate to sound like a broken record, but you know there's only one way to do that."

I nodded again.

For a while we just watched each other. The only sounds in the house seemed to be our breathing. The house had gone empty. Outside the storm continued on. The thunder and wind occasionally rattled the windows; the rain dripped down the eaves, performing its own symphony.

As I listened to the tempest carrying on outside, I considered what had been left unsaid. To protect him, or anyone for that matter, be they my vampire family in Forks, my human family, or even the members of this household, would mean I'd have to become as strong as possible.

"If, no, _when_ the Volturi show up, I'm not going to be able to just fight them, I'll have to kill them," I thought. "There's no way around it," a resigned voice said in my mind.

I felt a sense of determination and purpose settle over me for the first time. The next time I trained it would be different. I wouldn't be just going through the motions, struggling to pack information into my brain, I'd be learning how to protect the ones I love.

I understood now, I understood everything in this new light.

After a few minutes he scooted down in the bed so we were level.

"Oh Bella," he said, sighing dramatically. He began to stroke my hair, tucking it behind my ear. "I swear not every vampire's life is this eventful."

"I'm a trouble magnet," I said sullenly.

"That you are," he agreed. "But you're also a me-magnet, so it's not all bad."

I grinned.

"There's my girl," he said, his smile blossoming over his face. He leaned in and kissed me gently.

"Thank you," I murmured, reaching up and stroking his arm.

"I'm sorry I couldn't just make you feel better, but it would only have lasted as long as I continued to feed the emotions to you. You'd still have to face all of it."

"I know."

"But you do feel better," he said in a guarded voice. Undoubtedly he had picked up on the determination that was now flowing through me.

"I do," I whispered, closing my eyes and tucking my head under his chin and into his chest. "I do."

* * *

Thanks to Naelany for being a patient beta! Thanks to the readers for waiting a couple months for me to get my crap together. Chapter 14 is already with the lovely Ms. N and Chapter 15 is in progress.


	14. Chapter 14: Badass

Chapter 14

The next morning I was sitting up in bed, the sheet tucked under my arms, watching Jasper change when there was a knock at the door.

Jasper glanced at me and tossed one of his t-shirts at me, which I shrugged into.

"Come in," I called.

The door opened, Dick cautiously sticking his head in. "Morning y'all," he said hesitantly. "Jas, I didn't know if you were still interested in coming with me today or…" he glanced at me.

Jasper's gaze followed to me. I snorted and nodded. "I'm fine," I said, giving an appreciative smile.

"Is that 'fine,' as in he's going to be in a lot of trouble if he goes or 'fine,' as in he's good to go?" Dick asked with eyebrows raised.

"I'm fine!" I said indignantly.

"I dunno, are you sure you're fine?" Jasper asked, in mock concern.

"Because if you're not fine, we can find a finer time for our plans," Dick said accommodatingly.

"Which would be fine by us," Jasper added.

"Damn it, I'm fine," I said through gritted teeth.

"I think she _might_ be fine," Jasper nodded as he looked over at Dick.

"But you never know she might not be f—"

"The next person who says 'fine' is getting bodily ejected from this house!" Adrien bellowed from the first floor.

Dick shrugged. "Fine," he mouthed.

I suppressed a giggle. "Will you idiots get out of here and do whatever it is you were going to do?"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Dick said, sliding out of the room.

"I'm not sure when we'll be back, but I've got my phone if you need me," Jasper said, leaning down and planting a kissing.

"Stop worrying. Go out and have fun. I'll be fine," I said, reaching up and rubbing his chest.

"ISABELLA!" Adrien shouted.

"Sorry!" I called, grinning.

"Alright, well if everything goes as planned you should hear us before you see us," he said mysteriously.

"Don't I usually?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll see what I mean," he said with a smirk. His eyes were dancing.

"Can't wait," I said, feeling the giddiness rolling off of him.

A few minutes later I was dressed—I opted to keep on Jasper's t-shirt, the smell made me feel a little better—and I headed downstairs. The house seemed to be empty except for Adrien and I. Helena and Jubilee still had not returned from the night before. The door to Adrien's study was closed, but I needed to talk to him.

After a quiet knock there was an absentminded, "Come in."

Adrien was behind the desk, staring over a stack of very old looking manuscripts and books in front of him, comparing a particularly yellowed sheet of paper to something on the screen of his laptop.

Despite the fact that he owned both a computer and a cell phone, Adrien still clung to an antiquated sensibility toward technology. His home hadn't changed much since the last update in the 19th century, and he liked it that way. But he had finally come around, Helena told me, when he found it far easier to continue his archiving using a computer instead pen and paper. He had allowed her to have the house wired for electricity on the condition that gas lamps continued to be the only sources of light used in household. Still, whenever someone brought out something remotely electronic or modern, the person would have to tolerate at the very least a sniff on Adrien's part (or at the most, a lecture.)

The corner of my mouth quirked up in affection as Adrien pulled the pen he had clenched between his teeth and made a note on a notepad next to his elbow.

"Bella," he said, not looking up.

"Adrien," I said in an even, deliberate tone.

He noticed it and looked up. "You're looking much better," he said, opening his mouth to continue then stopping, taking in my expression. "Something's changed."

I nodded.

He folded the screen down on his computer, rose, and crossed over to the couch and armchairs by the broad, open windows. "Please, sit," he offered he took a seat in an armchair.

I sat down across from him, tucking my legs underneath me.

"Bella, now that we're face to face, regarding last night, I want to apologize aga—"

"That isn't necessary," I said, cutting him off.

He pressed his lips together. He wasn't used to being interrupted, but I think he understood that it was not his time to speak.

"I am glad they did it," I said slowly.

His eyes searched mine for any hint of a lie. "Go on," he prompted.

"I thought I was going to die and that everyone I knew or loved would pay for having any knowledge of me. I never want to feel that way again, _ever_. I understand now that there is only one way to ensure that."

Adrien nodded.

"I thought I was taking the training seriously, but now I know I wasn't, at least, not as seriously as I need to. I'll never stop being afraid until I know I can win if it comes down to a fight, and I don't want to be afraid anymore."

"You know Jubilee was only partially right, fear governing your actions, preventing you from reaching your true potential is indeed a pointless endeavor. But fear made to serve you in the form of determination? There is no better motivator, especially because you're doing all of this out of love. It can make you unstoppable," he said, leaning forward on his elbows and interlacing his fingers. "Perhaps you're right. Perhaps you needed this to put you on the right path."

I nodded my head, leaning forward as well. "I will protect my friends and family or I will die trying."

"I know you will, but death may not be necessary," he said smoothly. He stood up. "Would you like to see your training area? We completed it last night."

"Yes," I said quickly, standing up.

I followed Adrien through the house, into the kitchen.

He stood back, "Ladies first," he offered, and I dropped down to the ground below, having skipped climbing down the ladder.

The journey through the tunnel took us past the lavender storage locker. On either side of the tunnel, shafts and passageways branched off, leading to spaces I could tell had been occupied by vampires recently.

I glanced at Adrien. "We had a lot of material to move. Some of these areas are for…personal purposes," he said vaguely, answering my questioning look. "Your space is just down here," he said, taking a right that after a few minutes ended at a large metal door.

When he rounded on me I nearly ran into him.

"Sorry," I mumbled, taking a step back.

"No, you're fine," he said hesitantly. "Would you indulge me Bella?"

"Sure?" I replied.

"Close your eyes?" he requested.

"Okay," I said, squinting at him before I closed my eyes and waiting as I listened to him unbolt the lock and the slight creak as the door swung open.

He reached out to lead me by the hands through the door. After we reached some determined point in the room we stopped.

"One moment," he said, letting go of my hands. "Stay right here," he added. I could hear a series of clicks, perhaps light switches, being flicked on. "Alright," he called from a little ways off. Just by the way his voice resounded off the walls I could tell where ever we were was very large.

I opened my eyes slowly, feeling them widen. "Wow," I said, my jaw dropping.

It was an enormous room with a domed ceiling lit by a huge chandelier hung from the center. Along the walls hung maps, charts of things like human body and descriptions of fight theories; there were illustrations of swords and their many positions, a long mirror that looked as if it were meant for a dance studio, wall mounts with pegs from which weapons or even clothing could be hung, a large boulder for me to practice my balance and stance on, assorted chairs and benches, and other equipment I couldn't identify. From where I was standing I could see the floor dropped significantly.

I took a few steps forward. I could see there was a deep pit with steps leading up the side. Across the middle of this pit were two long, narrow timbers, looking a little like two balance beams shaped like an 'X.'

"The boys dug out the pit by hand. We hung the beam last night shortly before you arrived home," he said, glancing at me. "I was just going to do the one, but the second beam will help you later on in your training, in the areas of strategy and acrobatics." He sounded very formal, trying to disguise how pleased he was with my reaction.

I knew better.

"Wow," I said again, even more in awe as I imagined them digging out the rock by hand; my voice echoed off the walls and ceiling as I spoke. Casting my eyes upwards I looked at the chandelier. "Electric? You?" I teased.

"Yes, well, we couldn't very well run a gas line down here without public utilities noticing. Wire is a lot easier, especially when we've got Dick, who is something of an electrician; though God knows he shocked himself enough times before he got it right."

I chuckled as I turned around on the spot, continuing to look around. "I'll be training here?" I asked.

"You will indeed," he said in a clipped tone. "I designed it to fulfill every possible function we might require."

"It's amazing, Adrien," I said, smiling over at him.

His smooth expression gave way and he looked rather pleased. He cleared his throat as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"So when do we start?" I asked.

"How about now?"

My smile expanded into a grin.

He stood me before the mirror as I grasped the training staff. It was the size, shape, and weight of the sword, but made of honey colored wood. For a while he took me through each sword position I had read about. Each time he would correct me kindly, but firmly. With each position came a transition that, when done smoothly, looked more like a dance than an offensive or defensive move.

Every word he spoke I tried to absorb. My focus was completely on the movement and his instructions. Every now and then I would catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I'd jump, failing to recognize the person before me. She wore an expression I'd never seen before: Utter commitment and determination.

"And slide your arm up—elbows up, keep the blade parallel to your body, and down and around, straight up in front of you, watch your leg as it slides back, and come to a rest," Adrien finished, circling me. "And that is the final position, and you'll note you've returned to the first," he said, coming up behind me.

I nodded as I looked my reflection over.

"Now it's your turn. Without prompting, take me through it."

I exhaled and squinted for a moment before moving my body slowly through the positions.

"Faster," he urged quietly.

I moved through the positions again, swinging the staff around my body, the movements no longer guesswork, but acquired knowledge. This time it was with increased speed and seemingly, more graceful as I allowed myself to disappear into the motions.

"Again, _faster_," he said more insistently.

We ran through the routine over and over again until it was done with blinding speed.

"Enough!" he called as I brought my sword down into the final position, pointing behind me.

I exhaled, waiting for instructions.

"Very well done. You know one through five, but now you need to learn how to do things out of sequence."

Adrien began walking me through transitions. Each movement was familiar, but getting there was strange, feeling foreign and confusing to me.

Eventually he started to call out numbers at random and I would have to accommodate the position with a modulation that was far from fluid.

I growled in frustration at one point.

"It'll get easier. Now move to four," he urged.

Many, many aggravated huffs and growls later, I was able to move with more confidence. It still didn't feel natural, but it didn't feel completely counterintuitive either.

I stared at him in the mirror as he gazed over my shoulder back at me.

"You've done very well, Bella," he said with a barely concealed satisfied smile.

I turned my head now to meet his eyes. "Are we done?"

"For today," he said, a corner of his mouth turning up. "I believe I did overlook one thing—a clock. I have no idea what time it is."

"No windows to be able to tell, either," I said, sighing and walking over to the wall where I hung my training staff along several pegs.

"How's the sword coming along?" he inquired.

"It's a lot of work," I admitted in a guarded tone. I was about halfway through cleaning it. The resentment I held towards it had bloomed into unguarded hatred, which I channeled into vigorously scrubbing away the years of built up damage and deterioration. "What's with the flowers?"

"Have you identified what the type yet?" he asked with a trace of a smile as he stared forward.

"A lily, it looks like," I said with a shrug.

"Perhaps you should use that as the starting point for your research. Then you'd have your answer."

"Find the answer, don't tell the answer," I summarized sarcastically.

"How else will you learn?" he asked as I followed him out the door and into the tunnels.

"If you tell me," I said with a grin as I let the door clang shut behind me.

Adrien chuckled as he passed me the keys so I could lock the door.

Back through the tunnel we went and soon up the ladder. The kitchen was dimly lit by the fading sunlight. It appeared we had been training for hours.

"Is anyone home?" Adrien called.

"Just me!" Ciarán called from two floors up.

Adrien wagged his head and followed him upstairs.

Ciarán was in his room at his desk, typing away on his laptop, which he hastily put away as Adrien gave it a nasty look.

"Luddite," I said in a cutting in tone as I sat down in the window seat.

Ciarán gave me a sly grin. "How did she like it?" he inquired.

"I think she likes it a lot. We spent a few hours training," Adrien said as he leaned against the post of the bed.

"A few?" he repeated. "Seems more like several; you all started around ten. It's going on seven."

"Several then," Adrien conceded.

"She do alright?"

"She's learning quickly. She did alright," Adrien said, shaking his head from side to side.

My narrowed eyes went back and forth between the two of them. "Will you two stop doing that?"

"Doing what?" Ciarán asked innocently.

"Talking about me like I'm not here—you guys do it all the time."

"Ah, yes, but when I do it, I do it because I know you hate it. When Adrien does it, it's because he's a prat," Ciarán said matter-of-factly.

Adrien laughed loudly as I rolled my eyes.

"So did you like it?" Ciarán asked, turning to me.

"It's unbelievable. I don't understand how you managed it."

"Well now you know why we looked like coalminers every time we climbed out of that hole."

"Thank you so much," I said, giving a soft, half grin.

"Anything to help you train," Ciarán said with a shrug.

"Yes, about that," Adrien began.

"Oh Christ," Ciarán said, putting his head in his hands.

"How are you at the sword?"

Ciarán looked up through his fingers. "The sword?" He let out a long, whistle-y breath through his lips. "Fair? Scale of on to ten, six, maybe a seven. Not great," he admitted, looking back and forth between us, his eyebrows raised. "Definitely not knowledgeable enough to train her anything worthwhile. I can manage the basics and keep from getting my ass kicked completely."

"Perfect," Adrien said with a smug smile. "Then you can work with her."

"What?" Ciarán and I both said.

"Well we can't have you swinging at thin air. You'll need to learn how to move as though you had an opponent, which you may well someday," Adrien said sensibly.

I sighed and agreed by nodding my head. He had a point.

"What do you say, Ciarán?" Adrien solicited.

Ciarán sighed deeply and raked his hair before staring back at me, his hands still tightly wound in his hair. "You promise not to kill me?"

My jaw dropped slightly. "Wha—uh, yeah. Yeah, of course!" I stammered.

"Wouldn't Jasper be better suited for this? He does have a fighting background after all," he said, addressing Adrien.

"That's true, but this one wouldn't actually hit him, at least not properly. She would with you."

"Oh, well _that's_ good to know," he said sarcastically. He brought his hands behind his head and leaned forward on his elbows and cursed to himself before leaning back. "Alright. What the hell? In for a penny, in for a pound; I already had a target on my back the minute you crossed the threshold anyhow."

"Excellent!" Adrien said, rubbing his hands together. "We'll start training the two of you together tomorrow. You'll want to—" but his voice was cut off by the rumbling of an engine. "Oh goodie," he muttered.

I craned my neck and looked down the alley. Two single lights, not at all parallel, were shining at the mouth of it. I rounded on Adrien. "Did you let them get motorcycles?"

He shrugged. "They more than earned it. They bought them, but I'm letting them park in the courtyard."

"What did _you_ get?" I asked Ciarán.

"A weekend alone at the house in Provence," he replied with a shrug.

"Not entirely alone," Adrien smirked.

"God willing," Ciarán replied, raising his eyes to the ceiling.

I looked back out the window. The guys were now making their way down the alley slowly. They pulled in along the wall, across from the house.

Jasper looked up, a huge smile plastered on his face.

I grinned back and dashed out of the room and downstairs. Moments later I was down the front steps and next to Jasper, who was still astride his bike.

"Someone got himself a present!" I said, giving him a hug and standing back to look the bike over.

"Yeah well, that one," he replied sheepishly as he pointed at Dick, "Practically broke my arm to get me to buy the bike."

Dick laughed derisively. "Oh yeah, I had to twist his arm to get him to buy a World War II era motorcycle on the cheap," he scoffed, giving me a 'yeah right!' look.

"Mmm, well, Jasper doesn't really like motorcycles anyway. He just bandwagoned onto it when he was given one I didn't want," I said coyly.

Dick swung his head around to face Jasper. "What's this?" he guffawed.

Jasper reached over and flicked my arm. "Hey, I've always liked bikes. I wasn't about to turn down the Bugatti that was re-gifted to me after you turned your nose up at it."

Dick's eyes bugged slightly. "You turned down a Bugatti?!" he demanded hoarsely.

I shrugged. "I already had a bike I liked."

Dick continued to stare at me as though I'd grown two heads.

"What?!" I asked innocently.

"You're insane Bella, utterly insane," Dick said, getting up and walking back to the house.

I turned back to Jasper. "Am I?"

He shrugged apologetically. "Yes," he said simply.

I shrugged back.

"So are you going to hop on or are you just going to keep admiring me as I sit on this thing?" he asked slyly.

"I dunno, this is a pretty good view," I said, standing back and giving an overly longing look.

Even though I was pantomiming checking him out, I couldn't help but notice that with his black and red riding jacket, torn jeans, and wind tousled hair, he looked pretty good.

"Well screw the bike," he said, making to get off the bike.

"I'm kidding," I squealed, throwing a leg over the back of the bike and wrapping an arm around his waist.

The bike growled to life. He placed a hand over my arm and rubbed it before revving the engine loudly. "No you aren't," he said without looking at me.

I scooted closer against his body and grinned into his shoulder.

We took off down the alley, sliding into traffic with ease.

As we drove through town, I gazed up at the lights overhead. Buildings were spotlighted, twinkling little lights were strung over storefronts and restaurants, and neon signs flashed different pictures and words. The windows of buildings and cars sparkled.

I looked around in wonder and smiled. My wind whipped my hair behind me and Jasper's shirt, which was a bit too big for me, billowed at my sides.

I leaned forward and rested my chin on Jasper's shoulder. "I'm so glad we did this," I murmured over the wind. I knew he could hear me.

"You're not just talking about this ride, are you?"

"No, I'm not," I agreed, squeezed him around the middle.

A few minutes later we were driving between looming buildings on either side when we emerged from their shadow, an open sky overhead. Directly in front of us was the Eiffel Tower, which was lit with a white spotlight.

Jasper let go of my hand and pulled up his sleeve and looked at his watch. "I think we're going to make it," he said. "Keep watching," he instructed, pointing ahead of us at the tower.

We followed the curve of the road, several blocks later Jasper edged us out of traffic and into a u-shaped drop off point in front of yet another large, very old building.

He kept glancing at his watch. "Alright, alright, any second," he said looking up eagerly.

I raised my eyebrows and kept watching. Suddenly the Eiffel Tower became dazzling as it shimmered brightly with hundreds of white light that flashed for several seconds.

My jaw dropped as I stared up at it. "Oooh," I murmured.

"I thought you'd like it," he said, smiling sheepishly. He twisted around in the seat and wound an arm around me.

He lowered his lips to mine, our bodies pressing together; the warmth of his touch flowed from my lips to every other part of my body.

I pressed myself more tightly against him, sliding my hand up to his hair, and tangling my fingers in his blond curls. I felt his hand cup my face, while his other hand firmly grasped my bottom.

He pulled away for a moment. "You're wearing my shirt?"

"I liked the way it smelled. It made me feel safe," I said shyly. "I don't know if that's weird or—"

"No," he said, his eyes searching mine before he grinned. "I like that," he murmured and returned his lips to mine.

There was movement behind us and he pulled away, looking over my shoulder with concern.

"What—" I began before I heard the French.

Two gruff looking French policemen were gesturing at us and speaking quickly.

"I'm really sorry—um, er, Anglais?" Jasper stammered awkwardly.

The officers exchanged annoyed looks.

"Why aren't you wearing helmets?" said the one with a particular round, red face.

"Helmets?" I repeated stupidly.

"Yes, it is the law—you must wear helmets if you are going to ride a motorcycle," explained the skinnier of the two.

"Oh, um, I just got this, I hadn't gotten the chance—" began Jasper.

"That's not acceptable. Let me see your license," said the round faced man.

I glanced at Jasper, who reached back and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. After a moment of fishing he retrieved his license and passed it to the officer who had asked for it.

He stared down at the license with a look of irritation while the other officer looked on. "I'll have to radio your information in; protocol," he said, unclipping the radio on his shoulder.

What I felt next was odd and out of nowhere. I felt complete pity and a sense of forgiving. I glanced at Jasper who gave slightest nod of confirmation.

The officer with Jasper's license paused mid-motion, with the radio halfway to his lips.

I leaned forward and rested my head against Jasper's shoulder and gave the officers a sad, slightly pouty look. "We're really sorry officers. He just got it and I begged him for a ride. We should have waited."

Jasper glanced down with an indulgent smirk then turned his expression to apologetic as he looked back at the officers.

The thinner officer looked confused as the rounder looked understanding, even a touch permissive.

"Well you won't go out joyriding anymore until you get helmets, yes?" he said in a fatherly voice.

"Of course, sir," Jasper said.

"But—" the other officer began.

"Bertrand, they are kids. We have all done something stupid," his partner replied. "You are not far from where you are staying?"

"We're in the 5th arrondissement, so it's not terribly far," I said sweetly. "We'll go straight home and we won't ride again until we have helmets."

Bertrand looked back and forth between the three of us before relenting and shrugging. "Yes, yes. But if we see you again without them we will cite you, okay?" he said, shaking his citation book at us.

The officer whose name I hadn't caught shook a finger at us as he grinned. "You have a lovely evening, kids!"

"Thank you," Jasper and I both said, as Jasper received his license back and returned it to his wallet.

He turned and started up the bike, the engine growling to life.

Giving a shy smile, I waved at the two men, who smiled dreamily and waved back.

"Young love," the round one said to Bertrand, who in turn chuckled as he shook his head.

We were out of sight when we both began to howl with laughter and we didn't stop until we were miles away.

"Are we heading home?" I asked.

"I thought we might hunt."

After considering that I'd vomited up a majority of the blood I took the night before, I decided a hunt was probably in order.

We drove for an hour into the dark of unfamiliar woods.

When I saw three or four deer prance along the roadside I pointed them out, but Jasper chuckled and just kept driving. We finally pulled over under the shadow of tall trees that towered over us, blocking out the light of the waning full moon overhead.

Jasper waited as I slid off then dismounted as well. He pulled off his jacket and tossed it onto his bike. "You ready?"

"You realize you passed up perfectly good prey miles back there."

"Yeah, but I don't want them."

I cocked my head to the side and listened for a moment, and then, to confirm what I didn't hear, took in a deep breath. I shook my head. "There is hardly anything around us—closest is probably those same deer we rode passed."

He was in front of me in a flash. "Yeah, but I don't want _them_," he growled as he snaked an arm around my waist, pressing his hips against mine. His expression intensified.

My smile dropped and lids lowered. I leaned forward to kiss him, but he shoved me away.

My hands went back and I caught myself on the bike as I watched him disappear into the woods.

"Huh," I chuckled once. "I think five seconds is a fair head start," I said darkly to myself. "Five, four," I said, strolling to the line of trees. "Three, two," I said, raising my voice. "And one," I murmured.

I shot off into the darkness. What would have been pitch black to any human was a dark grey in which I could see clearly. As I listened, I could hear Jasper running through the trees. I chuckled and followed his trail, which almost glowed in front of me as I followed his scent, the signs of disturbance in the dirt and plants, and the sounds of his feet as they tread on the ground. Then I heard his feet leave the ground.

Without thinking, I reached up and pulled myself up on a branch and soundlessly threw myself from tree to tree until I knew he was close. I threw down branches to the ground below, allowing them to make as much noise as possible. A few moments later I was above him, a tree over. He stared down below us intently, waiting for me on a large limb that hung twenty feet or so over the forest floor. My trick with the branches had worked; he didn't know I'd be coming from above.

I smirked, then, having gauged the distance, flung myself out of my tree and tackled him out of his. Even in midair he attempted to twist away from me, but I held him fast, forcing his back to meet the ground.

He grunted and took in a sharp gasp of air before throwing me off of him. I collided with the ground, but was on my feet again in an instant. He was already off and running, but I gave chase. Within a few strides I had caught up with him and seized his upper arm and swung him into a tree with a dull thud.

He tried to escape, but I slammed his back against the tree, some loose branches overhead showering to the ground around us.

"Caught you," I purred.

"You did," he said with a smirk. "And now that you have me, what are you going to do?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him and his hands went to my jeans and undid them. As soon as they were undone I let them slide down and I kicked them and my shoes aside. I undid Jasper's belt and pants and let them fall to his knees.

I pursed my lips smugly and he leaned down to kiss me, but instead my hand met his throat. In flash he was on his back, lying on the ground as I hovered over him, grinning.

"Very nice. Who taught you that one?"

"Oh that's all me," I growled against his throat where I had grabbed him, letting my lips trail up to his chin to his lips.

I felt his hands go up to my hips to pull me down, but I broke away and slammed his wrists to the ground.

"Who is this?" he asked, slightly impressed.

"Who do you think I am?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

"I think you're my badass Bella," he replied, his voice deepening.

"Oh yeah," I said smugly.

I lowered myself against his hips, allowing him to graze my body.

He uttered a groan, his hands twitching.

I tightened my grip on his wrists and smirked. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, I thought it you said something," I teased.

"No, I don't think I sai—"

He broke off as I lowered myself onto him.

His wrists twisted in my hands and took hold of my wrists, pulling me toward him.

I gasped as my body was tugged forward. I slid over him, using his wrists to hold onto so I could move fast and faster. I threw my head back as the friction built up and the warmth began to emanate from where our bodies met. The feeling reached out past my stomach, through my chest, up to my shoulders, and to my face. It flowed down through my legs, into my feet and down to the tips of my toes.

Taking in deep gasps I looked down through nearly closed lids at Jasper whose back was lifted up as he pressed his head into the ground. The pleasure shook me and I felt my body nearly slide off of his hips, but he disregarded the pretense that I was physically stronger, and threw aside my hands, reaching up and grasping my hips, moving me back and forth over him with a speed only achievable by a vampire.

I leaned back and stared up in desperation through the leaves of the overhanging trees where I could just make out a few stars shining down. I was gasping for air. Moans that had long since begun to spring forth from my lips were echoing off the trees.

I felt like a tree in a storm, as though I might break with the next squall of wind. And then came the final gust in the form of Jasper unleashing an emotional burst of pleasure. The combination of my body, mind, and heart completely overwhelmed my senses, when suddenly I felt myself break.

I gasped, starting to fall forward, but Jasper was sitting up, arms wrapped around me, still rocking me over him as the physical tremors elicited emotional tremors. Then he broke too with a loud groan. He struggled to stay upright, then fell against my chest.

I nestled my head against his as we both shook with the occasion aftershock.

I let out a shaky laugh as he leaned back and gave me a skeptical look. "What?"

"I like badass Bella," he said in a winded voice. "A lot," he added, leaning forward to kiss me.

"Yeah," I said sliding off of his lap. I clumsily got to my feet. "We're…we're, I'm…" I was struggling to form a coherent thought. "Nice motorcycle," I said finally.

He stood, pulling up his pants. "Well you're...you're always welcome to take it for...for a ride," he said slowly, as though he was experiencing trouble trying to form words as well.

"I'll keep that in mind," I murmured, kissing him once more before going off in search of my pants and shoes.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Your reviews ALWAYS make me grin, so thanks for all the smiles! Thanks goes to my lovely beta, Naelany, who helps me battle my literary idiosyncrasies. New chapter coming very soon!


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